Shades Of Gray
by gracie3
Summary: Sometimes when you see life in black and white, you miss the shades of gray between... chapter 29 is here!
1. Chapter 1: Making Waves

_**Legal Disclaimer:** I don't own the Jett Jackson characters, they belong to Disney. The only character that's mine is Jackie, Booker's love interest... Booker never seems to get any action so I decided to take a chance..._

_A/N: Another fic! This one is for Nicki, Tiffany, Wishbear-chan, HAA, geanie, and everyone else! sorry if i forgot anyone!_

_A/N2: The Silverstone story deals with bioterrorism... if that bothers you because of recent events, don't read pwease. And there's a huge block of Silverstone in between the real life scenes for the continuity of the Silverstone story._

**_Shades Of Gray_**

_**"Sometimes, when you keep life in black and white, you miss the shades of gray,"  
Me (yes, it's original... i think)**_

****The bell rang at Wilsted High, and pandemonium broke loose.

"Summer!" someone yelled, and a massive cheer went up in the hallways. School was over for the next ten weeks. 

"Finally," Kayla emerged from the lab, brushing a few stray curls from her eyes. "June twenty-third is now my favorite day."

JB walked out, looking over his shoulder at Jett. Kayla turned. "Are you coming?"

Jett walked out of the room on his hands. "You bet."

Kayla started to laugh. "Don't you have a set to get to?"

Jett flopped back down onto his feet. "Come to think of it, yeah, I do. Wanna come?"

"Are you kidding?" JB said. "It's the last day of school! I dunno about you, but I'm going home to enjoy my TV."

"I'm coming." Kayla said. "I wanna see what's going on."

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later, then." JB exchanged hugs and high fives with his friends and walked off in the direction of Halliburton's, the family store.

"So," Kayla said as they walked. "What do you plan to do this summer?"

"I don't know, truthfully." Jett realized that he really hadn't thought about it. "You?"

"I have no idea. Probably paint and hang out with you. And JB, of course." That part seemed to be an afterthought, almost, as if she had forgotten there was anyone but Jett. For some reason her answer made him smile. _She wants to spend time with me... whoa, chill, Jackson. She said you** and **JB. Not you alone._

"Well, here we are for another long afternoon." Jett held the door open to Silverstone Studios. Kayla did a perfect cartwheel down the hall and Jett followed her to the set.

* * * *

Silverstone watched the computer screen. The red dots were spreading rapidly. "Those red dots are the Rat's virus carriers." Artemus said. "It seems our slippery adversary has come up with a new way to achieve his ends. Biological warfare."

"What kind of virus is it?" Hawk spoke up.

"No one is sure." Artemus answered. "Do you remember, Silverstone, when I was infected with that virus? It seemed that there was no cure?"

Silverstone nodded. "Well, there truly is no cure for this disease. It is mutating too quickly for us to catch. The only way we can combat it is to dispose of the rest of the samples, and..." Artemus trailed off.

"And what?" Hawk asked.

"To kill those who are already infected." 

"_What?_" Silverstone was shocked. "Kill them?"

"It would be a mercy." Artemus said softly. "The disease, from what we have gathered, turns the victim slowly to a skeleton by eating away at the flesh and muscle. It is great pain, and the victim is conscious throughout the entire ordeal. It is so slow it may take weeks to happen fully. Weeks of pain and agony."

Silverstone put his head in his hands. "I can't believe you're asking me to do this."

"If there was anyone else, Silverstone, I would send them."

"What about you?" Silverstone asked. "You can't help us?"

"I can help you from here, Silverstone, but ever since I contracted that virus I am in grave danger if I am exposed to any other disease." Artemus looked as if he truly wanted to go with them. "But I am relying on you, Silverstone. And you, Hawk."

"We will make you proud." Hawk said.

* * * * 

"I don't believe I'm doing this." Silverstone muttered to himself. He was dressed as a doctor, with all the protective gear to shield himself from the disease. He was in the ward of the hospital where all of the Rat's victims lay.

The visions he saw were terrifying. People were in agony, writhing and crying out. Some had just gotten sick and had a terrified look in their eyes, and others were so far along they were practically all bone. Their eyes were dead and staring.

Hawk was sobbing silently as they walked through the ward. Silverstone was fighting to keep his own eyes dry. Children, elderly, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, every one of them. Lives taken unnecessarily.

"We have to get rid of this." Silverstone whispered as a few other doctors walked by, their heads bent.

"Artemus said--" Hawk began.

"I know." Silverstone scanned the control panels that manipulated the temperature and oxygen flow in the closed-off ward. He found the lever he was looking for. He didn't reach out. _It would be a mercy,_ Artemus had said. _A mercy, a mercy, a mercy...._ the worlds echoed in his head. _If they die this way, it is cruel... a mercy, a mercy... a mercy... _If he pulled that lever, the air supply would be cut off. And those people would die. His hand rested on the switch.

_A mercy... the victim is conscious... _Silverstone felt Hawk's hand on his. She pushed down, ever so gently, and the lever sank. A sob escaped from Silverstone's mouth, even though he was trying to hold it back. Hawk watched the ward through the window, tears leaving shining paths down her face. A small sound reached their ears, like a soft exhalation, and the pulsing hills of the heart monitors became straight lines. Silverstone and Hawk slipped away. 

Part one done. Now it was time to hunt down the Rat.

* * * * 

"Shhh," Silverstone silenced his comrade. Hawk clamped her mouth shut and watched from behind Silverstone, who was standing against a pillar. They were watching the Rat, who was holding a vial of an evil-colored liquid. "This is my ultimate creation," he was saying.

Silverstone's lip curled. "Bastard." He had to contain himself. If he moved now, the Rat's henchmen would be on him in a second.

It was amazing to Silverstone that the Rat would be such a big-time criminal now. He had specialized in petty theft and the like. It seemed he had found his break in bioterrorism.

Hawk tensed next to her partner. The Rat was laughing. "If I release this into the reservoir of New York City, I can easily annihilate the entire population in one stroke," The Rat continued.

"Not so fast, Rat." Silverstone and Hawk emerged from behind the barrel they had been hiding near. "Put the vial down."

The Rat started to laugh. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Never been more serious in my life."

"Well then, Silverstone, meet my friends, who will escort you out of here." The Rat snapped his fingers and five huge men came out of the shadows. Hawk fell into a ready position beside Silverstone, and they put their martial arts training to good use. Artemus had taught them well.

The men were short work, and Silverstone stood before their adversary, hardly breathing out of pace. "Put down the vial, Rat." Hawk was standing behind the little man, ready to spring if he made any fancy moves.

"Not a chance," The Rat flipped the little tube up into the air and caught it again, swiftly twisting off the top. He spun around suddenly, and threw the contents of the glass into Hawk's face. 

Hawk screamed, a high, unearthly sound of pain and terror. Her hands flew to her face. Blood was streaming down between her fingers. With horror, Jett realized what the Rat had done. It wasn't the virus that was making her bleed. It was harmless until it was inside your system. It was the tube itself. The Rat had smashed it into her eyes with the force of a bullet.

"RAT!" Jett threw himself at his enemy, not caring anymore whether or not he killed him; just knowing that Hawk was hurt and bleeding was enough. 

Laughing, the Rat dodged Silverstone's fists. "Poor boy," he taunted. "I've won, at long last."

Hawk was collapsed on the floor, soundlessly screaming, her mouth open. Blood was still flowing, mingled with tears. When she lifted her hands away from her face, a real scream erupted.

"I'm _BLIND_!"

Silverstone had the Rat pinned down below him. He turned his head to look at his partner and it took everything he had to keep himself from throwing up right there.

Hawk's eyes were gone. 


	2. Chapter 2: Fallen

A/N: Chapter 2!!! finally I have made something in chapters. i never seem to do that. anyway, read.

"Well, wasn't that episode lovely?" Riley said as she removed the black contacts from her eyes. "I get to lose my eyes just as my contract runs out."

JB tossed one of Riley's hair clips into the air and caught it. "Look at it this way. You get the biggest send-off in the history of any TV action series. Bigger than the Power Rangers."

"Oh yeah." Riley said, grabbing the clip before he caught it. "My life's ambition, fulfilled. To be as great as the Power Rangers."

"Well, it's a start," JB offered, and they both started to laugh.

Meanwhile, Kayla was still on set, waiting for Jett finish a few last scenes.

"Ugh, I can't stand this grease!" Maury said once the cameras stopped rolling for the day. "I need to take a shower and shave!" 

Jett looked over at Kayla and they both suppressed the urge to laugh. Rat, the grimiest, slimiest villain around, was played by a neat freak actor. 

"So now what, Silverstone?" Kayla asked as he emerged from his dressing room back in his normal clothes. 

He grinned at her, his smile always seeming to melt into that same special one just for her. "Let's hang. We can go to the park." 

They walked out into the blazing sunset, their hands barely touching. The sky was stained with shades of light lavender and pink, the beginnings of an early summer sunset. 

"You know what?" Jett said as they walked towards Wilsted Community Park. 

"What?" 

"Let's go eat." Jett said. "I'm starved and I already told my dad I'd eat out anyway. You feel like dinner?" 

"You asking me on a date, Jackson?" Kayla meant this as a tease, but it stirred some glimmer of hope in her. 

He faced her and looked right into her eyes. "What if I am?...What would you say?" 

She looked right back at him, the words rising to her lips before she even thought about it. "I'd say yes." 

"Good." Jett's smile warmed her. "Where do you want to go? Money is no object." 

Kayla giggled at his gallant claim, even though she knew it was true. "How about Figaro's?" she asked, suggesting the local Italian restaurant. It was a nice place, a magnet for first dates, and they both knew this. She looked down at her jeans and shirt and decided that she didn't have time to change, not with Jett's notorious stomach. Besides, Figaro's wasn't a place you needed to be in a formal gown for. 

The little restaurant was dimly lit by candles, and the waiter seated them at a table that was secluded but not isolated from the rest of the people. It was the perfect private spot. Jett ordered for both of them, being a gentlemen. Kayla had never cared for this treatment but now she found that she was enjoying it, even wanting it. 

They ate slowly, savoring every moment. For a first date, however spontaneous, they were having a great time and they were very relaxed. One of the waiters commented on how good they looked together. It was a passing comment, made in the simple pleasure of looking on young love, but it stirred both of the teenagers as their eyes met. Jett asked for the check and paid it, despite Kayla's insistence that she had enough to pay for her half and more. 

They walked out of the restaurant talking and laughing. As they made their way down Lierne Street, Jett slid his hand into Kayla's and their fingers twined together. 

"I'll walk you the rest of the way," Jett offered. "It's no problem." Neither of them wanted this time to end, this moment suspended between darkness and light, between the deep night and late streaks of sunset. 

The night was warm, so Kayla agreed. They walked slowly towards Greene Avenue, a street they had never liked and tried avoid. Kayla usually went a block out of her way to avoid it. But now there was no choice. The construction taking place on Fairfield Lane, Kayla's usual detour, had closed the street down. 

They walked close to the houses and lights, speeding their steps. They didn't see the figure until it jumped in front of them. 

"Give me everything you got," The figure demanded in a rough, raspy voice. "And maybe you won't get hurt, Silverstone." 

* * *

Short and to the point. they get robbed. a cliffie for you. 


	3. Chapter 3: Coming Around Again

Jett knew what to do. He reached into his pocket and drew out his wallet. "Take it. Just take it and go." 

Kayla's breath caught in her throat as the figure turned to her. "You too, girlie." The name had a sinister ring to it. 

She numbly gave him her little wallet. She knew that safety came first. Give them what they wanted and they'd leave you alone. 

But this wasn't the case, not this time. A blade glinted in the light, and everything moved in slow motion, the upward swing of the robber's arm, the swift downward stroke, her scream... 

Kayla reeled. This wasn't real. The figure disappeared and Kayla collapsed. Jett was screaming, and Kayla came to. Red was flowing from her side, she realized. Blood! She was bleeding. And then the blinding pain hit her like a ton of bricks. 

"_JETT!!_" Her scream startled even her. 

She felt him kneel beside her. "Oh, god. Someone call 911! Help!" 

People opened their doors and ran out. An older woman was holding a cordless phone and dialed 911. "Somebody got stabbed," she reported to the operator. "It's Greene and Fargo." 

"The police are coming," someone said to Jett, but he didn't hear them. All he saw and heard was Kayla, the beautiful magical love of his life, sprawled on the ground, helpless, bleeding. 

The sheriff's car roared up, sirens blaring. Wood and Booker rushed out. "Oh, god, Jett! Kayla!" Wood rushed to his Kayla's side as the ambulance arrived. Booker took Jett aside and put him into the car, driving alongside the ambulance that held Kayla and Wood, to the hospital. 

Jett waited in numb shock as Wood, tears streaking his face, made his report to the doctors. Kayla was taken into surgery immediately. Booker sat with Wood and Jett, silent and grave. 

"I'm just calling to see how everyone is." A female voice disturbed the silence of the waiting room. Booker looked up from where he sat and his eyes fell on one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. Not a girl, he realized upon further inspection. She was at most two years younger than him. "I'm in the waiting room now, Jimmy. Mom's in surgery." 

He vaguely recognized her, and her curious glance back at him as she talked into her cell phone made him wonder. 

"Mr. Jackson?" Wood and Jett turned identical gazes on the woman. A nurse was standing in the doorway. It had been almost two hours since they arrived, and by now it was almost nine at night. Kate and Victor West were on their way, frantic with worry about both Jett and Kayla. 

"You can see her now. She's out of surgery." The nurse led them down the hallway and upstairs to the third floor, and into room 387, where Kayla was asleep, oxygen tubes in her nose and countless IV's running from her arms. Jett's eyes filled at this sight, despite his furious resolution to be a man. There was nothing strong about the way he felt now. 

Wood stood next to the bed as Jett collapsed into a chair. Booker stood in the door, not sure whether he belonged in this. 

"I'm going to call the station and tell them I won't be in tomorrow," Wood said after a long moment. He sensed his son might need a little support. He gestured to Booker to follow him, and both men left the room. Jett slid the chair closer to the bed and put his hand in Kayla's. 

"I had a great time tonight," he said softly, not sure if she could hear him. "I've wanted to do that for a long time, Kay. I was stupid. I never admitted it to you... or myself for that matter. I just... I was scared that you would laugh at me, or worse, that you would hate me." 

Kayla's breathing was even; she was asleep. The steady pulsing of the heart monitor confirmed her life. Jett waited for a long time, simply watching her sleep, wondering if she heard him, if she was in pain. 

"Jett?" Miz Corretta's voice startled him. Jett turned, brushing away the streaks of tears on his cheeks. "I came right away, honey." 

Jett looked up the older woman. "She's okay." 

Miz Corretta looked down at her great-grandson. "I know." 

"I'm scared, Nana," Jett said, biting his lip to keep from stem the tears. *_Dammit, Jackson, be a MAN!*_

"I mean, we were coming home from having dinner and I offered to walk her home, and we were going down Greene Street and someone just jumped out of the shadows. They robbed us and stabbed Kayla." 

"The officers have already started investigating," Miz Corretta sighed. "I don't know how it'll turn out." 

"It's weird," Jett's voice was a little steadier. "I was so happy... And you never think something like this would happen to you. It's always someone else, like on the news. It's unreal when it hits so close to home. Life was always simple here. It was school, work, home, friends. Nothing weird like this." 

"Sometimes when you keep life in black and white, you miss the shades of gray," Miz Corretta said gently, remembering the time when she was a teenager caught in the storm of the 1925 Wilsted Fire, the one her father had been accused of setting. "Never overlook the little things, Jett. Every hug, every smile, that one could be one in a million that you may never have again." 

Jett looked up at her, his eyes filling for the third time that night, and started to cry for real. But these were healthy tears, ones that would leave him feeling somewhat healed. Experience was a valuable thing, Miz Corretta reflected as she embraced her great-grandson and let him cry. He needed to. 

"Kayla?" Kate and Victor were in the room. They moved to stand over their daughter. Wood and Booker came back into the room. 

A groan came from the bed, and everyone turned to see Kayla open her eyes. Jett rushed to her, ignoring anything else. 

"Kay," he whispered, hardly able to speak. 

"Jett..." she managed through the tubes and medications that hazed her vision. Wood, Kate, Victor, and Miz Corretta surrounded them, smiling. 

"How are you?" Jett asked softly. 

"I don't know." Kayla whispered. "What happened?" 

"Long story." Wood smiled down at Jett and then at Kayla. "We're just glad you're okay." 

A half hour later, Booker had left the room to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat for everyone. Victor, Kate, Jett and Wood remained in the room, talking softly to each other, and Kayla. 

Booker walked down the hall, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He didn't see who he was about to bump into. 

"Oh," Her voice startled him as they collided. "I'm sorry." She crouched down at the same time to him to pick up her fallen bag. He looked up at her at the time she did, and found sapphire blue eyes and a shy smile as thick golden-brown hair cascaded down her back to her waist. "Sorry." He recognized the girl he had seen down in the waiting room. 

"Sorry," Booker managed as they stood up. 

She noticed his badge. "You're a deputy? You must be Sheriff Jackson's deputy, then." 

"I am." 

"Can you tell me where the cafeteria is? I've never been here. I'm completely lost." Her smile was disarming. 

"I don't know actually," Booker admitted. "I haven't been here before either. But I'm on my way there anyway." 

"Oh. Well, there goes the theory of asking a police officer for directions." She smiled to show she was joking. Booker laughed. "Well, let's look." 

They walked down the hall side by side. People looked at them, and one lady commented on how good they looked together to her fellow nurse. 

The girl overheard them and turned red. She looked up at the handsome deputy next to her. He _was_ cute. And as they passed by a huge door in silver, they saw their reflections, she knew they were right. She was tall, five-seven to his six feet. Side by side, they _did_ look good. 

"Here," Booker said suddenly. "Cafeteria." He pointed to the large sign. 

"By the way," she said as they got on the line. "I never got your name." 


	4. Chapter 4: Memory Lane

"I'm Booker." He held out his hand. 

"Jacquelynne." She took his hand and shook it. She looked at him for a moment longer and shook her head. 

"What?" 

"I don't know... I just get the feeling I _know_ you from somewhere..." 

"You do?" 

"What elementary school did you go to?" Jackie reached into the refrigerator for a juice. 

"Uh, P.S. 23? In Raleigh?" Booker followed suit. 

"No... high school?" 

"Count Mercy High." 

"I went there!" Jackie smiled. 

"You did? What year?" 

"Class of '94." 

"Me too!" 

"Then that's where I know you from. Booker... Booker _Murray_? The Booker from my lit class?" 

"Yeah, that's me. Mrs. Armstrong, third period." 

"This is really weird. I'm Jackie Laine, remember?" 

Booker's smile came to a grinding halt. What he did remember from that name was heartache, intense longing, and tears. "Jackie... Laine..." 

Her smile was gone too. "I guess you still remember." She handed the cash to the lady behind the counter and pocketed the change. "I... I'm sorry... if I can even apologize for it." 

Booker was very quiet. "I hardly remember." 

She looked at him. "You never could lie well." 

He managed a small smile as they chose a table. "No, I guess not." 

"Look, Booker, I don't even know why everything happened, but I think we really need to talk." 

"Jackie, it was so long ago. Already eight years--" 

"And how do I know you haven't found someone else." Jackie pushed the straw into the carton of juice, her eyes lowered. 

"You can still finish my sentences." 

Jackie smiled wryly. "Talent." She sighed and looked up at him. "I was stupid, okay? I knew I..." She trailed off. 

"You knew what?" 

"I knew I was in love with you. God, it feels to weird to say it almost ten years later..." She shook her head. "I'm being stupid again." 

"No." The firmness of his tone startled her. "No. You're not." 

"Why not? Isn't there a Mrs. Booker Murray by now?" She bit her lips at her outburst. Booker gritted his teeth privately. 

"For your information there _is_ no Mrs. Booker Murray," Booker said, a trace of frustration in his voice. "I never found her." He looked down at his tray, suddenly very ashamed. "I--I was sent down here to get something to eat for the sheriff and that poor girl's parents. I shouldn't be down here." He stood up. "Good night." 

"Booker." 

He turned and walked away. 

"Booker!" she called after him. He didn't stop. 

To his relief and disappointment at the same time, she did not follow him. 

Upon his arrival back at Kayla's room, holding sodas and various things to eat, they found an older woman had been moved into the bed next to Kayla's. A young doctor was taking her blood pressure. He looked upset and shook his head as he removed the band from her upper arm. 

Booker turned back to his friends and so did not notice her come into the room and sit down next to the bed. So absorbed was he with everything, he didn't notice anything until it happened. 

The heart monitor of the woman next to Kayla went still, trilling a long, loud wail as if it was mourning the death of this patient too. 

"Mom?" Booker's head snapped up at the sound of her voice. 

"Mommy?" She was standing up, looking at the monitor, and then at her mother. 

"Nurse!" Booker yelled. Jackie looked up, startled, her hair cascading down over her shoulder, fallen from its clip, tears streaking her face suddenly. She knew her mother was gone. And she knew Booker's voice anywhere. 

Doctors rushed in. "No!" Jackie said as they surrounded the woman. "Wait!" 

The doctors looked at her. "She's no code," Jackie said. "No code." Her voice shook. 

"No code," Booker whispered to himself. He knew what that meant. A patient had the right to be resuscitated in the event that their heart stopped beating. It was known as Code Blue among the doctors. 

But there were patients who declined this option and chose to die instead. Some were simply suffering too much to be kept alive. 

Booker knew what kind of a sacrifice this was, and how much those words hurt Jackie as she said them. He regretted being angry with her, regretted walking away, regretted even thinking that she had had control over what had happened between them eight years ago. 

The doctors slowly stepped back, and one of them paged a morgue assistant. 

Everyone standing around Kayla was watching the scene with horror and shock. Kate looked sympathetically at the young woman standing over the bed. Jett, Wood, Victor, and Kayla looked at each other and then at Booker, who looked as if he'd seen a ghost. 

Jackie was struggling to keep her composure. Her jaw was set, her eyes overflowing. She turned as the men lifted her mother's body onto the stretcher and covered it with a sheet. She followed them out the door. 

"Booker?" Wood's voice startled the deputy. 

"Sir." 

"You look upset. Are you all right?" 

"Yes sir," Booker lied. "I don't like death too much." 

"None of us does. Look, Booker, you've been here a long time." Wood said gently. "Are you sure you don't want to go home?" 

Booker sighed. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, sir." He stood up. "I'll be at the station tomorrow morning." 

"Good man, Booker. And thank you." These words were spoken man-to-man, friend-to-friend. Wood understood. 

Booker walked slowly out the door, his mind racing a mile a minute. He could hardly believe that the love of his teenage life had come back. He could hardly believe that Kayla was hurt, that everything had been such a whirlwind that he hardly had time to think. 

As he rounded the corner of the hospital, in the warm night air, he heard a female voice talking. 

"Yes, Jimmy, Mom's gone." Her voice shook and Booker felt a twinge of guilt as he walked slowly past her. Jackie did not look at him, or maybe she didn't know he was there. The streetlights illuminated her hair. 

"Let everyone know, okay?" she said. "I don't think... I don't think I'm in the best position to do much of anything now." She listened for a moment. "Thanks. You're the best big brother." 

Well, there went any doubts that this Jimmy guy was her boyfriend, Booker thought, to his own puzzlement. Why was he even wondering? He kicked himself mentally. 

She sank down on the bench that was nearby. Booker waited. What was he supposed to do? Half of him was telling him to walk away, and half of him was screaming to go to her. He stood still. 

She did not do what he expected. She did not burst into tears. She do anything, in fact. She was completely still. She didn't move for a long moment, and then her head lowered into her hands, and her shoulders lifted and fell once. 

He remembered this suddenly: she cried in this silent, painful way that made him want to kill anything that was hurting her. He didn't move. 

Should he go to her? Was she still angry with him? Was _he_ angry with _her_? He didn't know. So he stayed where he was, his thoughts running a mile a minute. 

*_Stop being such a coward, Booker! For God's sake, admit you still love her and get over there!*_

He tried to shut his subconscious up. It was making him feel guilty... that insidious bastard that his thoughts were anyway... 

His feet moved of their own accord, and he found himself standing in front of her, sinking to his knees to see at her eye level. 

* * * * 


	5. Chapter 5: Love Letter

"Jett?" Kayla's voice startled Jett from his half-sleep. He sat up and looked at Kayla in the hospital bed. She had pulled off the oxygen mask. 

"Hm?"

"It's three in the morning. Why don't you get some sleep at home?"

Wood nodded sleepily from the doorway, from where he had been trying to persuade Jett to leave for a long time.

"Are you sure?" Jett took her hand. "I don't want to leave you here alone." 

"Jett, I'm a big girl now." Kayla tried to sit up. Wincing, she let the notion go. It was too much. "I... I'm sure I can handle it. My parents will be here."

"All right... I promise I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning. Even before that, if you want," Jett said, getting up from the chair. He leaned down, taking a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. "For you," was all he said, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He could hardly believe his bravery at that move, and she smiled after a long moment.

"'Night, Jackson," she said softly as Wood and Jett left the room.

Kate and Victor were with the doctor, so Kayla unfolded the paper Jett had handed her. Smiling at Jett's handwriting, she began to read.

_Dear Kayla,_

_ I don't even know how to say this. We've known each other four years now, ever since I brought Silverstone back to Wilsted. I've loved every moment of it.  
But there was always more to life for me than work, school, and friends. There was you. From the day I met you after that really embarrassing encounter in the girl's bathroom, where you had the presence of mind to humiliate me more (just kidding), you had my heart, I think.  
And the day you won the pie-eating contest... priceless. You may not think I notice such little things, like the way you wear your hair, or the way your smile changes from moment to moment, always beautiful... I never had the courage to admit it to you. I never said what I wanted to say.  
And this is what I wanted to say: You are the most beautiful girl I have ever known. Even through bad fights or crappy days you were the sun. Through Tara and all the other stupid things I did, you never made me feel like I wasn't a good friend. You made me see my mistakes with the light of a best friend. You helped me learn (and not just about the human eyes). I passed my midterm because of you (yes, even that matters). I learned to ride a horse and to tell when rain was coming. I learned to plow a field (something I know you hate to do). I learned to be a friend, and most importantly, I learned to love. And I thank you for that.  
There is no one in the world who has taught me more than you. And so, there is no one else in the world who I could say this to.  
I love you, Kayla West. I always have, and I always will. And I know I've never been good with words. This letter doesn't even say half of what I wanted it to. You're an artist, Kay. A picture is worth a thousand words. I was hoping I could paint a picture with my words. But anyway, this was my attempt at your art. I hope it's a start.  
_

_ Much love,  
Jett_

Kayla folded the letter again, trying not to smile as big as she wanted to. She knew she would always keep it. Tomorrow she would have something to say to him too. Her mother and father came back into the room.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kate asked. 

"As well as I can under the circumstances," Kayla answered. 

"Well, the doctors said your wound was not deep, and thankfully it only grazed a rib, which is easy enough to mend." Victor stood by his daughter's side.

"How long am I going to be here?" Kayla asked, looking up at her father and mother.

"A week is what the doctors are saying now," Kate adjusted her daughter's pillows. "But you're young. You'll pull through." She sat down next to Victor. "Kayla, we're just so glad you're okay... I mean, we died a thousand deaths when Wood called."

"I know," Kayla said. "It's all way too much."

"As long as you're going to be okay." Victor said. "That's what matters. Wood said he'd start the investigation right away. Are you sure you're okay?"

Kayla was quiet for a moment. For some reason she wasn't feeling the shock. She was scared to death, but nothing had hit her yet. She gave voice to this, and her parents exchanged glances. 

"Well, Kay, If you need to talk, we're here."

Kayla nodded, and closed her eyes. She didn't feel anything. Shouldn't she? 

Well, naturally. She'd been stabbed for God's sake. It was a scary thing. 

Why didn't she feel it?

* * *

again, a short chapter. you like?? i'm having trouble finding places to cut this into chapters so apologies if things are cut weird. 


	6. Chapter 6: Feelings

* * * * 

"Jackie..." Booker didn't see anything but her. She had stopped crying a while ago, and was simply staring at nothing. He was beside her on the bench. 

"Jackie, look at me."

She turned her eyes to him but he knew she wasn't seeing anything. His hands seemed to be moving on their own as he cupped her face in both his hands. "Jackie, say something. Anything."

She looked him full in the eyes. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was surprisingly steady.

"I came after you. I'm so sorry about your mom."

Jackie looked down. "She had cancer."

"I'm sorry."

She was quiet for a long moment.

"Why did you come after me now? Why didn't you come after me then?"

Booker knew she was talking about eight years ago. Everything must have come rushing back to her, just like him. He didn't say anything.

"I told you that night that I would not go if you didn't want me to."

"And I told you to follow your dreams," Booker said, lifting her chin to face him. "Julliard was the best thing that could have happened to you. You were always a star."

Jackie took his hands. "I should have followed my _heart_. I should have stayed in Wilsted."

"What brought you back to Wilsted?"

"My mother," Jackie said. "When she got the diagnosis, I came home right after graduation." Her eyes welled up again. "I... I was so scared. I thought about you when I wasn't thinking about my mother. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."

Booker looked her in the eyes. "I know."

She drew a deep breath. "The point is, I'm home again. I think I'm going to stay here."

Booker's thoughts went back to that day in July of 1994, when they had had the fight that had broken them up before they had even had a chance together.

_*Flashback*_

_ "I told you, Booker, I got accepted to Julliard... But I'm not going to go if you don't want me to."_

_ "You deserve this, Jackie." He touched her hand. "This means so much to you."_

_ "No. ** You** mean so much to me. We just barely started going out, Booker," She sat down on the stoop. "This isn't fair."_

_ "It is fair." Booker sat down beside her. "You owe it to yourself and your music to see how far you can go. Don't let me stop you. There's plenty of guys in New York who'll want you, and I'm sure you'll be just as attracted to them."_

_ She flew up from her seat. "What?"_

_ He stood up too. "Don't let small town ties keep you from a dream."_

_ "Is that how you think I see you?" Jackie's voice rose. "Do you think I don't care about you? You think I could just throw you away?"_

_ "I'm not making you stay with me."_

_ She stared at him in shock. "Booker... how could you say that? Are you saying you don't care? That this relationship means less to you than a stupid school?"_

_ He said nothing._

_ She reached for the chain around her neck. "Then take this back." She broke it with one swift tug and flung it at him, hitting him square in the face. She turned and walked away._

_ Booker bent down to retrieve the locket. It was a small thing, a sterling silver heart that hinged open to reveal their names engraved inside. He looked up at her retreating figure and bit his lip. Did he just do the right thing?_

_*End Of Flashback* _

"I don't even know why I said that that day." Jackie was saying. "I just... I couldn't handle the fact that you were so willing to let me go,"

"I wasn't," Booker said. "No way."

"Then why did you?"

"I knew I couldn't stop you," Booker said. "You were always a free bird. Why do you think I always called you a phoenix?"

"You did?"

He flushed red. "Yeah, in the poems I wrote for you."

She smiled, her eyes filling up again. "God, I missed you."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He looked her in the eyes. "Completely sure?"

She sighed heavily. "I'm gonna walk myself home now. I... I think I need to call the funeral home in the morning."

"I'll drive you," Booker offered quickly. _Way to go, Murray. Don't sound too eager._

Jackie smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks."

He held the door for her and she climbed in and looked out the window. "Wilsted is more beautiful than I remember it."

"Sure is. It just gets better every year," Booker shifted the car into gear. "Are you still on West Lane?"

She looked at him. "You remember?"

"Of course."

"Well, no, I got a house on Freeport Street. Freeport and South." Jackie watched the scenery go by. Unconsciously, her hand rested on his knee as he drove. It was a simple gesture, one that she had always made when they were driving to and from their dates. It brought back a lot of memories, and Booker shuddered involuntarily.

He pulled up to the corner of Freeport and South. "Which one?"

"Thirty-eight ten," she replied. He drove the few feet further it took to reach the house. She turned to him, smiling.

"Thank you," she said, opening the door. He sat, watching her go.

"If you need me," he said as she climbed out. "I'm here."

Jackie looked back at him, and slid back into the car. She lifted one hand to his face and kissed him square on the lips. Booker's hand lifted up automatically to tangle in her hair as they had always done. The gesture was automatic as the kiss deepened. 

She pulled away and he slid his hand from her hair. He was surprised to see her cheeks wet with tears. She bit her lips together. 

They didn't say anything for a long time. "Good night," Jackie said softly. 

He let her go, watching after her as she walked slowly down the street. Memories were flooding back. He turned to start the car and frowned, picking up a small piece of paper that had fallen onto the seat where Jackie had been. He unfolded it and the frown relaxed.

_Jacquelynne Laine  
Choreographer/Vocal Coach  
Call 1-284-886-3432 To Inquire_

It looked like a draft for a business card. Booker slid it into his pocket. Now he had her new number, at least. He shifted the car into gear and drove slowly down the street. 

He hadn't realized it, but he was exhausted. He pulled up slowly to his own house. Ten minutes later the light in his room went out.

* * *

The sun was up, and so was Jett. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, thinking. The terror of the night before had hit him when he walked into the house. He had collapsed on the couch, shaking. 

"What's wrong?" Wood had said, rushing to his son's side.

"I should have saved her, Dad." Jett's voice was shaking. "It should have been me getting stabbed. I should have been a man. I should have protected her." His voice broke. "This is my fault."

"Jett." Wood took his son by the shoulders. "None of this is your fault, okay? You did not have control over this. _This was not your fault_."

And now he was still afraid, still guilty. 

The sunrise poked its bright fingers into his room, staining the wood floor a montage of colors. He traced a finger along the bent surface of a ruby red line of light that curved along his bedsheets and thought of blood. 

His alarm rang. He punched it off the bureau and flopped back on his mattress. Thank god she was okay. Thank god they were both okay, for Christ sake, he thought. The whole thing was making him upset.

"Jett?" Miz Corretta was in the doorway. "I heard the clock hit the floor. Are you okay? Are you hungry? I made breakfast."

Jett shook his head. "Yeah." He sat up. "I guess I'm hungry."

"Well, come down. I made bacon and eggs."

Jett followed his great grandmother down the stairs, the smell of butter and bacon and eggs wafting through his senses. It was the scent of normalcy, he thought, something he definitely didn't feel right now. He sank into his chair at the table and looked down at his plate, and then at the silverware. His stomach lurched at the sight of the blunt knife on his napkin. He shoved it off the square of linen and picked up the fork gingerly. He used the side of it to cut the bacon.

Wood exchanged glances with his grandmother. They both knew it would be awhile before Jett was over everything.


	7. Chapter 7: Sun On A New Day

_Kayla and Jett were walking together, down a dark street neither of them recognized. Their hands were intertwined, warmth radiating from their fingertips. They were talking and laughing, but somehow they were uneasy. _

_ A rustle behind them made them turn, and Kayla gasped as a huge man jumped out of the bushes, holding an evilly long knife, at least three feet. He lifted the blade and Kayla's scream grew louder. A flash of silver, and Jett was screaming her name as blood drenched her, drowning her, suffocatingly heavy..._

_ "KAYLA!"_

_ "Jett!!" she yelled. "Help me!" It was choking her, surely she was going to die now, there was no air..._

"Jett.... help..." Kayla's eyes were closed, and the heart monitor showed her elevated pulse. "Jett... no, leave him alone!"

"Kay, wake up." Jett was standing over the sleeping girl, shaking her gently. "You're dreaming, Kayla."

"Aaahh!" She sat straight up, gasping from the pain in her side where the stab wound was. Jett was beside her, whole and perfect, not hurt like in her dream. 

"Oh, God," she gasped. "Oh, good God." She reached for Jett. "I was dreaming."

Jett held her closer to him. "I know." He brushed the hair from her face. "Lay down again. It's just a dream." She was really shaking, and he could relate.

"Relax," he said, trying to keep his own voice steady. "It's not good for the stitches. You'll hurt yourself."

She lay back down. "I hate this."

"What?"

"I'm stuck here in this goddamn bed and I can't get up!" Kayla's voice rose a little. "Jett, this is driving me crazy! I'm... I'm really scared."

He took her hand. "I know." He sighed. 

A nurse walked into the room, holding a blood pressure monitor and a tray of what Jett assumed was breakfast. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was only eight-thirty. How had convinced his dad to leave that early, he didn't remember. The nurse helped Kayla sit up, and took her blood pressure.

"Good, sweetie. You're doing just fine. You should be walking again soon." Kayla's eyes lit up. She gave the nurse a small smile. 

The nurse left the room, smiling at the two teenagers. The love was obvious, and for a moment she wondered if maybe they were older than they looked. A second thought made her shake her head, smiling. How wonderful to find your soul mate so young.

"So," Jett said. "How have you been?"

"Jett, it's only been five hours since you were here," Kayla said. "Nothing's changed."

Jett grinned sheepishly. 

"I read your letter," Kayla said softly.

Jett's smile started to drop. "Oh," He looked down at his hands. "Look, if I scared you or anything, I'm really sorry. I mean--"

"Jett." Kayla cut him off. "I feel the same way."

His smile grew again. "You... you do?"

"How could I forget when we danced outside of JB's store? Or the junior prom?" She looked up at him. "All I can say is, you better be there for the senior prom." 

Jett grinned. "Count on it, Kay." He twined his fingers in hers. "So like you were saying?"

"That letter is what I've been waiting for for the longest time," she went on. "I mean... what happened when you thought you were going to quit Silverstone was my wake-up call. That you _do_ feel that way about me and I better act before I lose you."

He cocked his head and grinned. "You wouldn't lose me, Kayla. Not in a million years. Now what's this about the nurse saying you'd walk again soon?"

"Oh." Kayla shifted to face him. "I should be able to get out of bed and walk around today."

Jett smiled. "Why wait?" He pulled the railing down on the side of the bed and helped her sit up. She drew in a soft breath at the twinge in her side from the stitches. She slid off the bed onto her feet. 

"What?" she said, noticing Jett surveying her appearance.

"You're wearing two hospital gowns?"

"Duh. Think, Jackson. They don't close all the way. So I wear one one way, and put the other one on backwards."

Jett started to laugh. Kayla pulled the IV pole behind her and walked out of the room. 

Jett caught up with her and kept pace with her slow walk. They made their way down the hall. As they walked, Jett's hand found its way into Kayla's, and they simply walked, enjoying each other and what was developing between them.


	8. Chapter 8: The Girl In The Black Dress

Legal Stuff: Don't own 'em... 

A/N: Chapter 8!! I'm writing WAY too fast. =D

Wilsted Community Funeral Home was astir with people come to attend the wake of Margaret Laine. People stopped talking as they passed the building, in respectful silence.

Wood and Booker were patrolling the streets on their normal daily rounds and they noticed the crowd at the home. Wood kept driving on, sighing, but Booker stopped. There she was, dressed in a long black dress that fit her perfectly without being immodest. He knew she wasn't going for style points but he had to admit, she looked fantastic.

He radioed to Wood, who was already down the block, that he was going in to the wake. Wood didn't ask questions. He had recognized the girl in the black dress from the hospital. "All right, Booker. Just come back to the station afterwards."

"Yessir." Booker pulled up beside the people and stepped out. He removed his hat and moved to stand beside Jackie. She was standing over the coffin, which was closed, to everyone's relief. Her eyes were dry and her face was set painfully. Her hands rested on the polished mahogany wood. She didn't move for a long moment. Booker didn't know what to do until she backed away and let relatives stand in her place. It was then that she looked up at Booker.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered as she sat down. He sat down beside her. 

"I had to come," he whispered back. "I couldn't just stay away. I... I saw you outside and I felt like I couldn't just walk away."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "You have no idea what you're doing to me."

Booker covered her hands with his and said nothing. They sat that way for a long moment until another man knelt down in front of her. 

"Are you sure you're all right?" he said gently. 

"Yeah," Jackie replied. "Booker, this is my brother James."

"Call me Jimmy." The man held out his hand, and Booker saw that he was the virtual copy his sister in coloring. He shook Jimmy's hand.   


"I'm sorry about your mom," Booker said sincerely.

"Thanks." Jimmy stood up again. "I'm going to talk to Uncle Frank," he said to Jackie. She nodded. 

Jackie turned to Booker again and noticed the curiosity in his eyes. "He's my twin," she said. "We were born two minutes apart." Booker nodded.

"You look exactly alike."

Jackie looked up into Booker's eyes. "I still don't understand."

"What?"

"Why now?" She drew her hands out from under his. "Why now? I lose my mother and my father in the space of six months and now you come back and completely throw me off."

Booker sat back. "I'm really sorry, Jackie. I just... I felt like I couldn't leave you here."

"Leave me where, Booker?" Jackie's voice rose a little and she flew from her seat. "Where am I that you need to rescue me from?"

He stood up too. He was still taller than her by almost half a foot. "Here," he said in a quiet voice. "Here you are, Jackie. You're alone and you're afraid and you're too stubborn to admit it." He put his hat back on and tipped it in a gesture of politeness. "I'll be on my way, if you don't mind." He turned to go, and then turned back. "I really am sorry about your mom."

She bit her lips together and took a deep breath. "Thank you." Her voice was icily polite. Booker sighed and left the room, leaving Jackie to collapse in a chair and put her face in her hands.

* * *

He didn't see her the next day. He drove by her house on several occasions, just to check on her, and the lights were on at one point, but other than that it seemed Jackie was staying inside. He didn't know what to do. Was she still angry at him? Would she close the door in his face if he tried to talk to her?

Finally, the sixth time he drove past the house, in the late afternoon, he stopped completely and sat there for a moment. "Oh, hell," he muttered, and got out of the car. 

The walkway leading to the front door was planted with summer flowers, and they looked beautiful. He smiled a little. He never knew Jackie had a green thumb.

Booker paused a minute to collect himself before he rang the doorbell. He lifted one hand and pushed the button. 

"One minute!" he heard her call, and he shivered involuntarily. He was an idiot. He had no idea what he was going to say! What was he doing here?

The door opened, and Booker drew in a sharp breath. Jackie was standing there, obviously in work clothes, but not the conventional overalls and boots. No, she was wearing a tight cropped shirt, jeans that fit like they were custom-tailored for her body, and Timberland boots. Her waist-length hair was pulled back into a ponytail. A hammer was in her hand, and wood dust streaked her arms.

Her mouth fell open slightly. "H--hi."

"Hi... am I here at a bad time?" Booker struggled to keep his eyes above her neckline. 

"Oh. No, not at all." Jackie opened the door a little more. "Come in."

Booker stepped into what he thought was the most beautiful living room he had ever seen, save for the big hole high up on one of the walls. The entire room was done in cream and white. Drapes hung over the big windows and a carpet of delicate white covered the mahogany floor. A ladder was set up next to a sofa that was covered in protective plastic to shield it from the wood and paint. 

"You can sit if you want." Jackie gestured to a chair in the corner of the room. "I'm really sorry about the mess." Booker was surprised at how nice she was being. He thought she'd be furious.

"I just have to finish covering this hole." Jackie climbed swiftly up the ladder. Booker's eyes strayed to below her waist as she pulled up another plank of wood and nailed it in place. It covered the hole completely, and the nails Jackie held between her teeth as she hammered disappeared quickly. She was facing away from him, and every time she moved Booker would shake himself for being such a pervert. 

She climbed back down and shook the dust from her hands. "I'm really sorry about the mess," she apologized again.

"No problem." Booker looked around the room. "This setup is beautiful."

"You like it?" Jackie surveyed the furniture. "I did it myself."

Booker was suitably impressed. "Wow."

Jackie pulled the plastic covering off the sofa and plopped down on it, gesturing for him to do the same. "Look, I know what you came for, Booker."

Booker sat down next to her. "We need to talk."

She played with a corner of the plastic, not meeting his eyes. "I know." She paused. "So how's the girl?"

Booker frowned. "Girl?"

"The one who you were with."

"Oh, Kayla. She's fine. The doctors said she'll be okay."

"Good." Silence descended again. Booker sighed.

"I can't do this," he said finally.

"Do what?" Jackie looked up at him.

"Don't act like you don't know, Jackie!" Booker cried. "I can't stop thinking about you and you know it!"

Jackie's face drew in anger. "Do you think," she ground out between clenched teeth. "That I don't think about what happened between us every single day?" Her eyes were filling up again.

Booker didn't say anything. "I have beat up on myself every minute of every day for doing what I did to you eight years ago!" Jackie yelled. "It was my fault and I know it and that makes it worse!" She hugged her knees and lowered her face. "And I never forgave myself. And coming back here and seeing you again just brought everything back. And I hoped... I just had this stupid hope that you would still feel the same way about me that I do about you. Even after all these years." She looked up at him. "When I kissed you..."

Booker held up one hand to silence her. "That was the best feeling I have ever had in a long time." He looked down at the hat in his lap. "I didn't want to admit it. But I really... I haven't let go of us, Jackie."

Jackie looked up at him in shock. "You haven't?"

"No!" Booker's cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "I was always hoping you'd come back. And when you left for New York I had to face the reality that I might never see you again. And _that_ was something I refused to accept."

Jackie sat back, thunderstruck and relieved. Her feelings were so muddled that she didn't notice his hands on her shoulders, sliding to undo the band that held her hair back. Her hair fell in waves of golden brown streaked with blonde. He marveled at the natural spectrum of colors that she seemed to be. Her eyes were bluer than he remembered, but he found them as entrancing as he hand almost ten years ago.

Her hands moved up to his, tangled in her hair. He leaned over and kissed her for real. It was exactly like it had been when they were 18, but with more passion, more maturity.

They both reveled in it. The past came flooding back in this sensation, and neither of them fought it. 

The one thought the both had was this: It was good to be home at last.


	9. Chapter 9: Love Of Simple Things

legal stuff: again... don't own 'em 

A/N: two chapters in a day... either i have no life or i'm having another fit of inspiration... or both...

Five days passed. Kayla recovered and the stitches healed slowly but surely. The doctor used dissolvable thread so she wouldn't have to worry about getting the stitches removed.

Jett was with her every single day from morning til late afternoon, except when he had to go to set. Kayla was walking and sitting up again and she seemed to be doing fine, except for the nightmares. 

Both Jett and Kayla were still haunted by recurring dreams of what had happened that night. Wood was doing his best to investigate everything, but so far they had come up with only one lead.

Bryan "Brainer" Caldwell, a notorious assaulter who had escaped the police on many occasions, was famous for his stabbing incidents. His nickname made some officers shudder, and others laugh. To Wood, he was a nuisance, a guy who thought he wasn't going to be caught.

But that didn't make sense, because Caldwell wasn't anywhere near Wilsted, last he had heard from the reports, and he wouldn't know Jett or Kayla. Whoever this was had a grudge against them, or knew them somehow. Otherwise, how would they know Fairfield Street was closed? And that Kayla would have to take Greene Street to get home? Somebody right in Wilsted was guilty.

But who? 

Kayla and Jett grew closer to each other each day. They told each other every dream, everything that happened to them each day.

And the day Kayla was released from the hospital, Jett was right there beside her. Kate and Victor were beaming as Kayla was wheeled out, smiling. It would be a few more weeks before the stitches were healed completely, but for now, having Kayla out and about was enough for them. The doctors advised plenty of rest, and to "keep that boy around her. They seem to help each other." 

Jett smiled when he heard this bit of advice. 

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Victor asked his daughter. 

"I think I've had my share of excitement," Kayla said tiredly. "Jett, come hang out for a little while. Please?"

Jett looked from his dad to Kayla's parents. "Okay?"

"Sure." Wood said, and Kate nodded. 

"I don't see why not." She opened the West family pickup door. "Hop in."

The drive back to the West farm was a silent one. Jett and Kayla sat together in the back seat, holding hands and watching the familiar scenery pass by. Kate and Victor looked back at them from time to time, just to check. 

"Well, here we are," Victor pulled up to the side of the garage. "Home again."

Jett opened the door and helped Kayla out of the truck. They simply stood there, looking at each other, their hands still linked. Kate cleared her throat, smiling, remembering how she and Victor had been the same way when they met. Two pairs of chocolate brown eyes turned to her. "Do you want to go in?" Kate asked.

Kayla exchanged a glance with Jett. "Umm... could I maybe walk around for a bit? I missed this place."

Victor nodded. "All right. But the minute you don't feel good you come home, hear?"

"Yes, Daddy." Kayla watched as her parents went inside the house and turned to Jett. "Wanna walk around?"

He grinned, completely disarming her again. "Of course." He practically had the layout of the land memorized from being there almost every day. Likewise, Kayla had come to visit him a lot more often. As they walked to the stables, the scent of fresh cut grass reached them, and Kayla stopped, closing her eyes, and inhaled deeply. 

"I love that smell," she said, catching up to Jett. He smiled. The stables were right up ahead, and Kayla made her way to them with the eagerness of a long-lost friend. Jett kept pace beside her, loving her and her joy at the simple things like the stables or the scent of new grass.

She pulled him by the hand into the stable, petting every horse that stuck its nose out. "I missed you guys," Kayla said as she stroked the nose of one of the mares. "It's good to be home."

Jett watched, leaning against the wall, marveling at how beautiful he found her. She came back to him, smiling and happy, and took his hand again. He led her outside and they stopped in front of the stable again. "I can see how much you love this place," Jett said, pulling Kayla closer to him. "You look so happy."

"It's also the company," Kayla teased. She leaned on him, looking up into his eyes, her smile never leaving her face. They stayed like that for a long moment, and then Kayla did something she never thought she would have the courage or the chance to do. She lifted one hand and touched his face. 

Jett's hand lifted to touch the place where her stitches were, and his other arm encircled her waist. He leaned down, and she lifted her face up to meet him halfway. Their lips met in their first real kiss.

Kayla's thoughts scattered as warmth spread to her very fingertips. Jett's kiss was warm, gentle, his lips slightly dry. She let herself relax, and felt his arms tighten around her. She lifted her arms around his neck, and he kissed her more deeply, drawing her awareness to nothing but him.

And from then on, that was how he would always hold her when he kissed her, one hand on the place where she had been hurt, even long after it faded into nothing but a scar. 


	10. Chapter 10: Grown Up Emotions

A/N: Okay, it gets a little more grown-up here... umm, i changed the rating to PG-13 just to be safe, but i really suck at ratings, so I'm not sure.

Jackie woke up with a start, sitting bolt upright. The room was dark; sunrise wasn't for a few hours yet. The sound of even breathing made her turn to look beside her, and Booker was sound asleep next to her, his arms still in the curve that she herself had been asleep in moments before. 

She gasped, forgetting his visit to the house five days ago, the kisses, the apologies, and finally the dinner they had shared the night before. They must have had more of that wine he had brought than she thought. His chest was bare, and with a shiver of combined excitement and apprehension, she knew the rest of him was bare too.

She hadn't expected this. The sight of him beside her was enough to tell her what had happened, and when she closed her eyes she had the acute sensation of memories coming back to her. 

Well, Jackie mused, surveying the strength and power implied in Booker's muscled chest and arms, it could be worse. I could have ended up the way I did back in New York, desperate enough for anyone. 

She lay down again, back in the warmth of his arms, and remembered why she had slept so well, better than in ages. It wasn't just the act preceding it; _that_ could wear anyone out. It was the feeling of loving, of being loved, that made her so secure. She knew what had gone on. Hell, she remembered it. The thought made her blush as she settled down again.

Her movements made Booker open his eyes. "Hey," he said, looking down at her. He sat up and looked around, slightly surprised to find himself in another bed. The sight of their clothes scattered around the room made him grin and shake his head slightly. "Wow."

Jackie sat up again beside him. "That bad, huh?" he asked her.

She shrugged, her surprise waning a bit. "Well, I guess we _did_ wait too long," She was actually starting to enjoy the fact that they had had sex. It was something that should have happened a long time ago, she thought with a trace of bitterness, but it happened and that's what mattered.

"No wonder I slept so well," Booker said, running one had through his hair, which he had begun to grow out a few months before. 

"Yeah," Jackie flopped back down on the pillows. "You know what?"

"Hm?" Booker propped himself up on one elbow. 

"I think we needed that." 

"Agreed." Booker rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. "Wow."

"What?"

"I dunno. It's about time."

"You're telling me." Jackie's discomfort was gone. She brushed a wayward strand of hair from his face and leaned over him, grinning. "So was it what you expected?"

Booker laughed. "If you want to know... yes. And more."

Jackie laughed too, a low-pitched sound that Booker remembered very well. "Good."

"How about you?"

She face him, her eyes almost glowing blue. "Hmmmm...." Booker swatted her gently, smiling. "Okay, okay, yes. It was incredible." She slung one arm over his chest. "You belong to me now."

Booker kissed her arm. "Okay." He moved to kiss her on the lips, and she obliged, letting herself be drawn closer to him. Her hands wandered over his face and chest. 

The whole world faded away once again as the clock hit 3 A.M.


	11. Chapter 11: Between Best Friends

It had been two weeks. Kayla was home, grumbling because she wasn't allowed to ride until the stitches were completely healed. She spent as much time as she could with Jett. They were together constantly, Kayla even coming to the Silverstone set once she felt well enough to travel that far. Filming was no burden on Jett now that he didn't have to worry about homework and school.

JB came to visit often, and the three of them went down to the creek almost every weekend, to " hunt for gold", an in-joke between them ever since Jett had been bitten by a snake the last time they had gone searching. Hunting for gold meant they were going to picnic and swim.

JB felt a little alienated once Jett and Kayla started getting serious. He tried not to show it, but Jett noticed anyway. When Kayla had been dropped off at her house, their kisses exchanged, and goodbyes said, Jett sat to talk with his best friend. 

"What's up, JB?" Jett asked. 

JB sighed. "Nothing." 

"It sure doesn't sound like nothing," Jett said. "Come on, JB, I've known you my whole life. You can tell me anything." 

JB refused to meet his eyes. "It's nothing." 

Jett put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's okay, man." 

JB sighed. "Look, Jett. You and Kayla are my only two best friends, and I'm starting to feel really left out. I feel like my two favorite people in the world are abandoning me for each other." 

Jett nodded. "Yeah, I understand." 

"No you don't!" JB cried. "Remember? It keeps coming back to this! You're popular, Jett! You're cool! I have _never_ in my _life_ been cool!" 

"That's not true, JB!" Jett said. "You _are _cool. People are jerks." He sighed. "How do I explain this? People see _Silverstone_, JB, not me. People expect me to be the superhero that I play on TV. When they meet me, they're either disappointed or overjoyed. No one knows me inside the face that is Silverstone." 

"And people see _me_ and they hate _me_." JB put his head in his hands, and Jett was shocked to see real tears in his eyes. 

"I don't hate you, JB. And neither does Kayla. And neither does Riley." Jett said. 

JB's eyes grew a little brighter at the mention of Riley's name. "Yeah, I guess." He sat back. "The point is, I don't want to lose you or Kayla as my friends." 

"You won't," Jett promised. "Kayla and I are gonna be friends to you forever." 

JB smiled, blinking away the treacherous tears that still clouded his eyes. Jett gave him a hug. "Thanks, man." JB said sheepishly. 

"No problem." Jett stood up. "Now, you feel like some of Nana's cookies? She made fresh chocolate chip ones before we left." 

"Sounds good to me," JB said. "Race you!" And he sprinted off down the street, shirttails flying. 


	12. Chapter 12: With A Kiss And A Letter

Booker was at the police station again: back to work. Wood was perusing the files he had stored in his office. They had no leads whatsoever as to who could have committed this robbery. Every path they seemed to have a chance with turned up a dud. 

Booker couldn't think straight and it showed. "Are you all right, Booker?" Wood asked at one point. 

"Hm? Oh. Yes sir." Booker went back to the dull work of reorganizing the files. Ah, to be a deputy sheriff, he thought wryly.

Try as he might, his thoughts kept drifting back to the night before, awake and deliciously aware of the body beside him. She was beautiful, there was no doubt, but he was sure now that he was really in love with her. This was far beyond lust or puppy love. Things had spiraled into a new and much more mature kind of love, and both of them seemed content to let it happen.

He thought back to what Jackie had said to him last night, nestled in his arms, her arms curving around his waist. "I didn't think I was grown-up enough to admit it, but I am really head over heels for you. This... this is amazing."

And he had agreed wholeheartedly. He still agreed. Nothing could outdo that experience. And now he was back in the normal swing of things, save for the letter she had handed him that morning as he left to shower and pick up a fresh set of clothes. She had kissed him hard and handed him the envelope with a mysterious smile and the direction not to open it until he had a break.

He could stand the suspense no longer. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was 1:30. "Uh, sir?"

"Yes?" Wood looked up from the papers. 

"I'm going to take my lunch break now."

Wood sighed. "Go ahead. And take your time."

"Thank you, sir." Booker reorganized the papers on his own desk and left the station. He wandered down the street for a few dreamy moments, and then sat himself down on a bench near Wilsted Community Park. He pulled the envelope from his breast pocket and opened it.

Jackie's handwriting was still perfect, he mused, and began to read.

_Dear Booker,_

_ I was watching you last night. And I realized that something in you has changed. Not your appearance. You are still the same way I remember you, the way I described you in my poems for you: broad of shoulders and narrow of waist, long of leg, and handsome of face (what a sap I am, eh? And I rhyme, no less).   
I know now what that change is. We've both grown up. And we've both got an idea of what real love is. I know back when we were eighteen we were in love, but it's changed. When you kissed me, when we finally did what we had needed and wanted to do for eight years, I felt a difference in your emotions.  
Like I said, we've both grown up. And as for me, I can tell you with all honesty that I love you. And I can mean it with every facet of my being.   
There is nothing about the past that I regret now. I know my leaving was meant to make me realize the true extent of my feelings for you. There were many guys in New York, just like you said, but none of them were you. So I wouldn't have any of them.   
I was stubborn as a mule. Like you said, there were plenty of guys willing to love me. It was more a matter of my being able to reciprocate. And I couldn't.  
Someone back in New York told me that finding the love of your life was a series of breaking hearts and getting your own heart broken too. I believed her. And I still do. But I think the road ends with you, just as it began with you.   
I don't know if I've said everything I want to say here. Hell, I don't know if I'll ever be able to say all I want to say. Life isn't long enough to accommodate my stream of consciousness.   
Anyway, I'll be at home tonight if you want to come over again. If not, call me. Maybe we can revisit the past and have five-hour phone conversations again.  
_   
_ All my love,  
Jackie_

Booker smiled and refolded the paper. How did she do that to him? Every single time. She was amazing. 

His mind turned back to the disturbing thought that they still had no suspects in the stabbing case. It was proving to be tougher than they had anticipated. Wilsted was such a small town, making it either too easy or impossible to solve crimes, even though the biggest thing that had happened recently was someone stealing a cat... hardly FBI material. 

Wood knew what he was doing, Booker was sure of it. He'd been in this business a lot longer. He was fifteen years older than Booker. He'd been in the Academy when Booker had started kindergarten. 

He decided not to worry about it while he was on break. Life was passing him by, he thought, laughing to himself. Hardly. Not with the way his prospects seemed to be improving. There was a certain blue-eyed beauty waiting for him. 

Booker decided not to make her wait a second longer. He hopped into the police car and sped off towards Freeport and South and a blue-eyed girl he was longing to see.


	13. Chapter 13: Be There At Six On Saturday

"Kay!" Jett came sprinting down the path that led to the West farm. "Kayla!"

Kayla emerged from behind the tool shed, holding a hammer and a bucket of nails. She looked up at the sound of his call, dropped the tools, and grinned. Jett slowed as he came closer, caught her up in his arms, and kissed her.

"How are you?" he asked, setting her down on her feet.

Kayla was laughing as she swung her arms around his neck to face him. "Very well now that you're here." She slid one hand to her waist. "The stitches are gone." 

Jett smiled. "About time. I was thinkin'... there's this dance Saturday at Verdant's," he said, naming the local big restaurant. "Would you do me the honor?"

Kayla smiled. "Yeah. Of course. I mean... yes." 

He grinned. "Good. I'll pick you up at six then, and we can have dinner too." Then the thought hit them at the same time about what had happened the last time they had dinner. "...I'll call my dad to drive us home after."

Kayla let out a deep breath. "Okay." She looked down at her feet. "It's really stupid that we can't even go on a date without worrying about who's behind us."

"I know." Jett didn't like it either. "I keep on thinking who it could have been."

"That's the scary part," Kayla led him over to the big wooden fence and climbed up to sit on the top bar. "Who hates us so much? Who was waiting for us?"

"It had to be someone here in Wilsted," Jett reasoned. "My dad said that's the only logical conclusion. How else would they have known that we couldn't take Fairfield Street? And how would they have known we were on a date?"

Kayla shook her head. "It's really weird."

"And the worst part is, Dad and Booker have no leads," Jett went on. "It's scary."

"Yeah, but I think Booker has a girlfriend," Kayla said. "That girl that was there the night I came, I think Booker knows her."

"Oh, that's Jackie," Jett said. "Dad told me about her. And yes, she and Booker are dating. But that doesn't explain anything. Like why can't they find who this is? And _who_ is so angry at me?"

"Or me," Kayla said. "Somebody out there has a serious problem with anger management."

Jett shook himself. "This is getting too creepy for me. I'm gonna talk to Dad about it. Meanwhile, I will pick you up at six on Saturday?" He jumped off the fence.

"Sure thing, Handsome," Kayla teased as he leaned on her knees. Jett leaned up and pulled her down slightly so he could kiss her goodbye.

As he walked down the road again, his mind was buzzing. Who? Who was it?


	14. Chapter 14: The Detective In Her

Legal stuff: don't own 'em.

A/N: i have entirely too much time on my hands...

The sound of classical music came to Booker's ears as he pulled up to the white house. Not the conventional classical orchestra, he noted as he walked up the path. It had an incredible beat to it, and a thumping bass line that fairly dared one to keep up with it. Booker noticed the curtains over the bay windows weren't shut all the way and with a grin he decided to have a look.

And there she was, dressed in dance clothes, performing some of the most incredible moves he had ever seen. Well, now he understood why she'd been accepted into Julliard. Her talent was unmatched.

He didn't move as she bent backwards into a perfect flip, slowing her motions to make every part of it flawless. Jackie was a dancer. 

She was also a singer, and she played a mean piano. Booker remembered their laughing duets, each playing one half of a song on the pristine white and ebony keys, pushing each other playfully. He remembered her fingers flying over the keys, playing the Minute Waltz faster than he had ever been able to. It was a devilishly hard song to play, and she used to do it for the sole purpose of humiliating him.

The music stopped, bringing him out of his reverie, and Booker rang the doorbell. 

The door opened slowly, and Jackie's smile bloomed as she swept her hair back from his face. "Why, hello, Officer. Is there a problem?"

"You're music's too loud," Booker said, putting on a mock-serious face. "I'm going to have to write you a citation for disturbing the peace." He laughed suddenly, pulling off his hat and kissing her. 

"So," Jackie said, pulling him inside. "You hungry? I ordered a pizza about ten minutes ago."

"I could do pizza," Booker said, going over to the big stereo system she had pulled out into the living room. "I heard this music before. Were you dancing?" As if he didn't know.

"Yep." Jackie switched the music on again, this time a salsa beat that moved her right around him. "I was practicing an old routine from Julliard. _Mean_while," And she pulled him into the dance. "_I_ have something to ask you."

"Fire away," Booker said, spinning her.

"There's a dance at Verdant's on Saturday. You up for it?"

"I thought I was supposed to ask you."

"It's 2002. Things have changed," Jackie swung around and switched off the music. "Pizza's on the table." She swept into the kitchen, singing a Spanish song at the top of her lungs.

They talked for a while, and Booker agreed to pick her up at six-thirty on Saturday night. 

"So, what's happened with that police case on Kayla's stabbing?" Jackie asked, pulling a long thread of cheese from her pizza.

"Nothing," Booker sighed. "We've come up with only one lead that's absolutely ridiculous because he was arrested in New York City three months ago."

Jackie's eyes darkened momentarily, but she brushed it aside and nodded. "That really sucks. Are you sure there's no one who's jealous of Kayla? Or her boyfriend? That's Jett Jackson right? Crazy Silverstone kid."

Booker nodded. "Yep, Silverstone himself. He's got a huge fan base, but no one with bad intentions. As for Kayla, she's not famous, but she's popular. But I don't know of anyone who could be angry at her."

"Maybe they're angry at the fact that Jett and Kayla are dating?" Jackie suggesting, confirming one of Booker's earlier suspicions. "Somebody out there is bound to have a crush on Jett. He's a superstar. And he is kinda cute."

"Yeah, he's a celebrity. He's huge all over America. But nobody, like I said, with bad intentions has ever come up."

"They go to Wilsted High, right?" Jackie put her plate down. "Maybe someone who knows them is angry."

"Don't you sound like the perfect detective," Booker said, grinning. 

Jackie looked away, her smile waning a bit. "Yeah... Anyway, if you're sure it's no one major, no notorious criminal, it can't be anyone other than someone right here in Wilsted. Does Jett have any ex-girlfriends? Kayla any ex-boyfriends? Any obsessive fans?"

"Not that I know of," Booker said. "That's why it's so frustrating. We don't know. There's no trail or anything."

"I wish I could help," Jackie sighed. "I love mysteries. And this is way more than any Nancy Drew crap."

Booker laughed, and looked down at his watch. "Whoa." He had been on a two-hour break. Wood wouldn't be happy. "I'd better get back to work."

"Did you read my letter?" she asked, following him to the door.

"Yes, I did," Booker said, turning back to her. She swung her arms up around his neck. "And I will keep it forever."

Jackie giggled, a sound Booker hadn't heard in a while, and kissed him. "I don't know, hon. Forever's a long time."

"Forever isn't long enough," Booker said, drawing her back into a kiss. "I'll be back later."


	15. Chapter 15: Unmasked

Legal stuff: the lyrics to "will you still love me" belong to chicago!

A/N: chapter 15!! i write too fast! someone stop me!

Verdant's was lit up in shades of green and blue, true to its name. People were already outside, dressed in their best clothing. The party was open to Wilstedians 16 and up, and all of the town had shown up. There was a DJ inside, and huge buffet tables were set up already.

Jett and Kayla arrived at 6:30 on the dot. Jett's presence caused quite a stir, as did the girl by his side. Kayla looked absolutely beautiful, smiling and happy. She was dressed in a red and pink tank dress that was slightly fitted at the waist, white sandals, and her hair was done up in a twist, curls falling loose around her shoulders. Jett was dressed in black and blue.

Wood was there as security, but he also was there just to have fun. He kept a sharp eye out for any suspicious looking partygoers and found none.

The biggest stir came when Booker arrived with Jackie. He was grinning and proudly showing off the fact that he had the best-looking girl at the party next to him, and she knew it.

In fact, her outfit said it all. Her black skirt was long and had a scandalously high slit, and she wore a fitted blue tank top with a jacket of the same color over it, and strappy high-heeled sandals. Her hair was pulled back and left loose, tumbling down her back. 

Booker was wearing khaki slacks and a black button-down shirt. Everyone was mildly surprised: the deputy was quite handsome after all. And it seemed he'd gotten himself one hell of a girlfriend, as the whispers passed among the ranks.

The DJ put on dance music right away, and it seemed all of Wilsted's 16-and-up population was dancing. Shakira's _Suerte_ came blasting through the speakers, and Jett pulled Kayla onto the floor.

"Let's dance." He slid his arms around her waist. They spun, laughing. 

Jackie took Booker's hand and they started to dance salsa to the beat. People cheered as they whirled, joining Kayla and Jett as the sensations of the party.

Everyone danced for hours, and it was almost ten before they sat down to have a break, Jackie flushed and laughing.

Booker introduced her to Jett and Kayla, and before long they were chatting like old friends. No one noticed the figure in the bulky black First Down jacket watching them.

Booker pulled Jackie back onto the floor as the DJ put on a slow song "for all the couples out there tonight".

As the intro started, Booker wound his arms around Jackie's slender waist, and she leaned her forehead in the hollow of his shoulder.

_Take me as I am,  
Put your hand in mine,  
Now and forever._

_Darling, here I stand,  
Stand before you now,  
Deep inside I always knew,_

_It was you.  
You and me,  
Two hearts drawn together bound by destiny._

_It was you,  
And you for me,  
Every road leads to your door,  
Every step I take forevermore..._

_Just say you love me for the rest of your life.  
I got a lotta love and I don't wanna let go...  
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?  
Cause I can't go on,  
No I can't go on,_

_I can't go on,  
If I'm on my own._

Jett and Kayla stood there, swaying to the music. The words were deep, really expressing what they were feeling. They were aware of nothing but each other.

Wood watched from across the room, smiling slightly. He remember his first dance with Jules. They had been exactly that way. Then he shook his head. Hopefully his son would have a better road with Kayla. The heartbreak he had with Jules wasn't something he wanted Jett to go through.

Turning to Booker, he grinned. It was about time he found someone. And Jackie was gorgeous. Any man could appreciate her. But she and Booker seemed to be very deeply in love. Some day he would make Booker tell him the whole story. For now, it was nice to watch them.

No one noticed the figure in the black jacket get up. They didn't see the glint of the blade. Only Jackie, who was watching over Booker's shoulder, saw anything. She saw the black arm lift behind Kayla. 

"No!" Jackie lunged, knocking Kayla over, and knocking the blade out of the attacker's hand. Wood came rushing over, handcuffs out. Jackie tackled the black-coated criminal and sat on him, fumbling for something in her back pocket.

To everyone's shock, she drew out a pair of handcuffs. "Real smart, aren't you?" she said to the masked person. "Thought you'd cause a scene now, didn't you?"

"What are you doing?" Wood asked, clearing the people aside. "I'm the sheriff here, Jackie. How did you get those handcuffs?"

Jackie looked up at Wood and finished securing the shackles. "Sorry, sir. I just noticed and I thought you could use a little help. As for where I got these handcuffs--" She reached into her jacket pocket and drew out a flat black case, flipped it open, and revealed a police badge. "Detective Jacquelynne Laine, NYPD."

"Son of a bitch," Booker breathed in shock, coming to stand next to his girlfriend. "And you never told me."

She smiled at him. "I passed the Academy exam with top honors two months before I came back here." She gave the handcuffs one last tug and stood up. "He's all yours, Sheriff."

Kayla was staring in shock at her attacker, Jett's arms around her. "Again," she said. "For God's sake, who _are_ you?"

"We're about to find out." Wood rolled the assailant onto his back and took off the mask.

The silence that fell was thick enough to cut with a knife, filled with shock and outrage.

"_Amanda?! _"

The girl lay on the ground, trembling and grinding her teeth. Wood hauled her to her feet.

"How could you do that?" JB came up to stand next to his best friends. "What is _wrong _with you?"

"I told you, Jett. I don't like you. My purpose is specifically to ruin your life. I told you that a long time ago," Amanda's voice was raspy, crazed, ignoring JB. Kayla stepped back.

"And now you have that little bitch in your arms," Amanda continued, fighting Wood's grasp. "And _she_ obviously makes you real happy."

Jett was in shock. "I... I... oh, God." Kayla was staring at the girl in disbelief. She had never liked Amanda, but this was crazy.

Dislike was one thing. But Jett had never come across anyone this obsessed, willing to hurt another human to get him.

Wood dragged her away, kicking and spitting. Booker took crowd control upon himself along with the help of his girlfriend.

"Technically, I'm not supposed to help you," Jackie whispered as they rounded everyone up. "This isn't my state, let alone my precinct. I could get in a lot of trouble."

"Don't you worry about it," Booker said. "Wood's got it covered."

People were upset, there was no doubt about that. People were leaving in droves, too shaken to enjoy the rest of the party. Even the DJ looked a little green around the gills.

"C'mon. We better get out of here," Booker said once everyone was accounted for. "I think I've had my share of excitement."

They would be needed at the station anyway.


	16. Chapter 16: History Repeats Itself

Legalese: Not me.

A/N: Okay, seriously. Too much writing for me for one day.

Wood had Amanda in the station. Booker and Jackie arrived a few minutes later, in Jackie's new silver V6 Passat. They moved around silently, knowing not to assist Wood unless he asked. 

"What would make you do something like this?" Wood asked her. "Why?"

Amanda glared. "I had his journal once. Your son is a bastard, sheriff. I was a reporter in search of a story, and the innermost secrets of the mighty Silverstone would have been perfect. But no. He and his little friends had to stop me."

"Don't you realize the extent of what you were doing?" Wood couldn't sit still. "That was my son! And his girlfriend. You had no right to invade on his privacy like that. And the fact that you even had a weapon is grounds for arrest."

"You think I care? All I ever wanted was to get his attention. But no. He was too busy staring at that hick Kayla." Amanda's hands chafed at the handcuffs. "What the hell is wrong with all the guys here?"

"So you had a grudge against Jett and Kayla. And you thought you'd just solve it with a knife?" 

"Well sure. If she was out of his life he could have me," Amanda said this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Well," Wood sat back down. "I have to make notice for you to stand trial." 

Booker cleared his throat. "Sir? Will you be needing me?" 

Wood glanced from Booker to Jackie. "No, not tonight. Take your girlfriend home. It's been a long night." 

Jackie spoke up. "You're going to need to us to file reports, sir." 

Wood sighed. "I think we can leave that til tomorrow." 

Jackie nodded. "Uh, one more thing, sheriff. I didn't make that arrest. You did." 

Wood looked at her. "What?" 

"This wasn't my case. Technically I'm off duty. Plus I'm not even in my state." 

"True." Wood got Amanda to her feet. "All right. No problem." He opened the door to the cell in the station. "I'm calling your parents, Amanda." 

Amanda curled her lip at him. 

"Well, I guess we've been dismissed," Booker said, taking Jackie by the shoulders, and steering her out into the warm night air. 

Jackie pulled off the sweater as they approached her house. The little red flag was down on the mailbox, meaning that Jackie hadn't gotten her mail that day. She pulled open the little door and flipped through the letters. 

"Oh," she gasped suddenly, dropping all the papers. 

"What?" Booker stooped to pick up the fallen envelopes. 

"It's... it's from... oh, lord!" Jackie tore open the envelope. "It's from the Tim Rice/Elton John Company." Her eyes scanned the page and widened. "Oh..." Her voice petered out and then rose. "I did it!" 

"What?" Booker looked over her shoulder at the typed paper. 

"I got the lead!" Jackie was staring at the paper as if she could hardly believe it. "I got the lead in _Beauty and the Beast_!" She refolded the letter with shaking hands. 

Booker grinned. "Congratulations." 

Their eyes met, and the realization hit them at the same time. 

She would have to go back to New York if she accepted. Their smiles dropped. "Not again," Jackie said, almost inaudibly. 

Booker waited as she unlocked the door. "I can't believe this," Jackie put the letter down on the kitchen counter. "I mean, why don't they make life a little harder? I mean--" 

Booker cut her off with a kiss. "Stop," he mumbled, between kisses. "You're mine now." 

Jackie responded fully to the kiss. "I can't..." She didn't finish the sentence and Booker pushed open the door to her bedroom. "Forget it." The door closed behind them. 


	17. Chapter 17: Time Has Moved On

Legalities (is that a word??): Don't own 'em...

A/N: chapter 17. i need to go back to school...

Jett sat on the porch of his house, looking out absently on the road. Miz Corretta came out of the house, holding a tray with fresh cookies and two tall glasses of milk.

"Mind if I join you?" His great-grandmother's voice startled him out of his reverie. Jett looked up and grinned at the woman, the pillar of his childhood, the one person he know he could trust her for everything from advice to fresh cookies, which she had never disappointed him with. Her chocolate chips were still the best in Wilsted. 

"Sure, Nana." Jett scooted over and grinned. 

"Sounds like a lot's been happening lately, huh?" Miz Corretta eased herself down onto the step. 

"You could say that," Jett took a long drink from the glass. "It's been crazy." 

Miz Corretta smiled. "You don't seem to be complaining. Especially since you and Kayla got together." She uncovered the plate of cookies and the aroma of fresh-baked dough rose to their senses. 

Jett took a few cookies and bit into one. He looked truly happy as he grinned. "Yeah." He chewed thoughtfully. "I'm thrilled. I mean, I've been waiting for this forever." 

"You both have," Miz Corretta said. "And let me tell you, child, we were going _crazy_ waiting for you to admit it to each other. Your father suggested taking bets." 

Jett started to laugh. "Dad said that?" 

"He did indeed," Miz Corretta took her glass of milk. "He may be forty-one years old, but I still see little Wood sometimes, running around in shorts and a t-shirt, yelling at the squirrels in the yard." Miz Corretta smiled at the memory. "And now he's a big-time sheriff." 

Jett smiled. "Things have changed around here, haven't they?" 

"Sure," Miz Corretta said. "You and Kayla and JB are all getting ready for your senior year in high school, and then it's off to college. I'm certainly not as young as I used to be, and look at Booker." 

Jett laughed. "He seems happy enough." 

Miz Corretta smiled. "I remember Jackie very well. She is a very talented girl." 

"She's gorgeous." 

"And she knows it." Miz Corretta broke off a piece of cookie and ate it. "I remember back in '93, she and Booker were in the production of Romeo and Juliet. It was a musical, and I will never forget how nervous Jackie was. She waved at me from the wings and grinned. Booker was the cutest Romeo we had ever seen. I was so proud of him." 

Jett shook his head, grinning. "Booker sings?" 

"Sure does. He plays the piano too. He's really pretty good." Miz Corretta smiled at her great-grandson. "Yes, time has moved on." 

Jett had another cookie and leaned back to watch the road again. His great-grandmother smiled at the boy who was no longer a boy, who was in love, and who was going to be just fine. 


	18. Chapter 18: Decisions Made

Legalness (i like to invent words): Don't, won't, never.

Jackie was sitting at the kitchen table in her house, holding the letter from New York City. She had a strong sense of deja vu, remembering the time when she had sat in the kitchen of her parents' house, holding the acceptance letter from Julliard. It wasn't a good sense.

The doorbell rang, and Jackie knew before she even opened it that it would be Booker. She had called him ten minutes ago.

"Hi," Booker was in plainclothes, being off-duty at the moment. "What was so important?"

Jackie lifted her face up for his kiss, and led him into the kitchen. They sat down at the table and Jackie unfolded the letter once again. She looked up at her boyfriend. "This is the stupidest thing. I'm having the dumbest sense of deja vu." She sighed. "I don't know what to do."

Booker sighed also. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you eight years ago."

Jackie closed her eyes and shook her head. "We're not seventeen anymore. I don't have to take this."

Booker took her hands. "I want you to. _This _is what you wanted. This is what Julliard has prepared you for. Go."

Jackie's eyes opened: she was angry. "Jesus Christ, Booker! Can't you think of yourself? What do you think I want to hear, and what do you think you really want to say?"

"I'm saying what I want to say, Jackie. I love you and I want to see you follow your dreams." He covered her hands with his.

Jackie snatched her hands out from under his and flew up out of her seat. "Damn it! You just don't get it! I don't want a repeat of what happened to us in high school! I love you, God damn it! And I am _damned_ if I am going to let it happen again."

"What do you want me to say, Jackie?"

"Tell me you love me and that you don't want me to go!" Jackie's eyes were filling with tears. 

"I love you. And I want to see you on Broadway."

"You could come with me?" Jackie's voice was shaking. "I mean, it's possible."

Booker shook his head. "I can't, Jackie, I'm a deputy. I have a job here."

Jackie sank back down into her chair. "This isn't going to work."

"What are you going to do?"

Jackie was quiet for a long moment. "I want this role. It means a lot of money..."

"Then do it." Booker smiled slightly. 

She turned brimming eyes on him. "I'd have to leave in two days."

"So be it."

Jackie lowered her head into her arms and her shoulders started to shake. Booker could do nothing but hold her. He was making the sacrifice of his life and she wasn't willing.

Two days. Two days, he thought. What was he going to do? He couldn't let her go. He _knew_ he loved her. He knew he always had. This was the second time they were presented with this challenge, and this time they were going to do it right. 


	19. Chapter 19: The Love Of My Life

oh screw the disclaimer. you know by now =P.

The suitcases were open on her bed, and Jackie was finishing packing the last few bags. She had her CD player on full volume and she was dancing as she packed. It was upsetting her to leave this little house, her own for the first time. It was upsetting her to leave Wilsted again. But this role as Belle promised her over a million dollars, a sum of money incomprehensible to her. It was the chance of a lifetime.

Booker had come the night before, and they had had dinner. Her face reddened at the thought of the night before and she resumed packing. There was nothing left to do, she realized with a shock of disappointment and finality. The car was coming in twenty minutes. Jackie took a fast shower and changed her clothes.

The taxi was outside as she dragged her things to the trunk. She sighed as the car rolled off down the street towards the airport.

* * * *

The airport was huge, Jackie thought uneasily. It was abnormally big for such a small town, and it upset her by its incongruity. Wilsted was little, homey, and snug. There wasn't room for this modern invasion. Then she shook her head. She was only twenty-six and thinking like on old woman.

The flight attendant took her ticket and Jackie walked slowly through the gate. ^Flight 467 to New York City now boarding at Gate 16,^ the announcement came over the speakers.

To anyone watching, the beautiful girl looked perfectly happy. But inside she was screaming. But that was Jackie for you. She was used to hiding her emotions except in front of those she loved most. Tears for her had always been a private thing except among her closest friends and family.

The man dressed in jeans and a blue button-down shirt came running through the lobby. He reached the front desk panting. "I need to get on that flight!" he told the slightly surprised flight attendant. "I need that flight to New York. I need it now."

"If I may ask?"

"I'm about to lose the love of my life. I will pay anything. Just get me on that plane."

The woman typed into the computer. "You are a lucky man. We have one seat in coach left. Seat E6. You can have it for two hundred fifty."

The man pulled out a credit card. "Anything."

The woman scanned the card and handed it back to him, along with a ticket. "Go right in."

He sprinted off, breathing a hurried thanks. 

The flight was pretty nice, as planes go. He looked through the rows for his seat and found it. Miracle of miracles. He sat down.

"I hope you know you just cost me two hundred and fifty dollars," he said to the woman next him.

She turned to meet his eyes and her mouth fell open. "Booker?"

Booker grinned smugly at his girlfriend. "Told you so."

Jackie's eyes widened. She was speechless. "What... what are you doing here?"

"Like you said, damned if you were going to let this happen again. And so I decided not to let it happen."

Jackie leaned back and smiled suddenly. "You bastard. You just couldn't leave me, could you?"

Booker leaned over and kissed her. "Not a chance, beautiful."

**"Hello, folks, and welcome to Flight 467 to New York City. I'm Jason Greene, your pilot. And yes, people, there is someone up front."**

People laughed. 

**"Anyway, it is now 1:30 PM Wilsted time. We will arrive in New York City at 3:02 PM. Sit back and enjoy your flight, and thanks for flying OpenAirways Airlines."**

Jackie could hardly believe that the love of her life had just chased her onto a plane to New York. This was beyond what she had hoped for. "How the hell did you manage this?" she asked him as the plane leveled off.

"I told Wood I couldn't let you go. I told him I would be back eventually, and that if he wanted to replace me as deputy he could. I packed my bags and I ran," Booker explained, and his grin made her kiss him again.

They sat back. The flight was very short, only an hour and a half, and they talked through most of it.

The weather as they disembarked at LaGuardia Airport was flawless, with a perfect blue cloudless sky. Jackie led Booker into Manhattan after they got their luggage. Sitting on the number 7 train, only Booker was a little uncomfortable. The train sped through the Midtown Tunnel and they emerged into Grand Central Station.

"Wow!" Booker had only been to New York once before, and the sight of the immense station sheathed in coral marble and sandstone made him gape. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and New York stores lined the walls. They walked out onto Lexington Avenue. "Okay. I'm staying at the Waldorf-Astoria."

"Ooh, big money for the star," Booker teased. 

Jackie swatted him. "They sent me an advance check when I signed on."

The hotel itself was immense, and to Jackie's surprise, several new cast members from the show were staying there before rehearsals started later that day. 

The room was huge, decorated in red and gold. Jackie flopped back on the bed and sighed. "At last."

Booker sat down next to her as she rolled onto her stomach. "I feel like I'm looking my future right in the eyes."

Booker leaned down and looked right into her eyes. "You are indeed,"


	20. Chapter 20: On Its Way

too lazy to write a disclaimer...

too lazy to write any notes...

"Nana!" Jett swung around the banister of the staircase. "I'm going out!"

"All right!" Miz Corretta called back. "Just be back before dinner, you hear?"

"You got it!" Jett sprinted out the door and down the street, heading in the direction of JB's store. Riley had just come back from visiting her grandparents in Charlotte, and they were giving her a small welcome-back party. It wasn't really a party, just the four of them hanging out at JB's. As was per custom, everyone knew. There was no better hangout. Kayla had said it once.

"Chips, soda, ice cream, and a TV, all in one place. Nothing better than that."

Jett smiled as he thought of his friends. JB had started to come to terms with the fact that Jett and Kayla were dating, and he had even started writing to Riley lately.

Of course, now that she was back, it was time to put that plan into effect that he and Kay had been hinting about for ages, but neither Riley nor JB seemed to get the clue.

They had laughed about it the night before, sitting on the porch swing at Jett's house, watching the sunset. It had been a spontaneous thing, but special nonetheless.

As for their plan... well, that was for tomorrow.

* * * *

Halliburton's opened late and closed early on Sundays. It opened late because the entire town was in church in the morning, and closed early because Sunday dinner was a big event in Wilsted.

But this Sunday Halliburton's was closed the entire day. Jett, Kayla, and JB were waiting inside for Riley, who had been told nothing of the gathering.

The little bell tinkled over the door, and the three of them crouched down behind the counter.

"Guys?" Riley's voice came from near the door. "Hello?" Her footsteps came closer to the counter. "That's not funny, JB." She sounded a little annoyed.

"Three.. two.. one..." Jett whispered, and... "SURPRISE!" Jett, Kayla, and JB jumped out from behind and cash register and grinned. Riley's smile blossomed quickly once she got over being startled.

"I thought we were just going to hang out," Riley said as JB got chips, soda and ice cream from various parts of the store, and switched on the big radio to the local Top 40 station. 

"Talk, Riley," Kayla leaned over the counter and looked at her friend. "How was the big city?"

Riley's smile dropped. "It was nice... you know, the basic big sidewalks and roads and stuff... But I don't think my grandmother's going to make it."

Kayla sat back. "Why? What's wrong?"

Riley sighed. "They think her Alzheimer's is getting worse. I mean, she didn't even recognize us when we came. My mother was so upset. My grandma kept calling her Leona, and that was my aunt's name."

"Was your aunt there?"

"Leona was my mom's twin sister. She... she died when I was ten, in a car accident," Riley took a drink of soda and blinked hard. 

Kayla put a hand on her friend's arm. "I'm really sorry, Riles."

Riley smiled a little at this use of her pet name. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Thanks, Kay."

"So, ladies!" JB pulled up a chair, Jett right behind him. Jett, however, plunked himself down in the available chair right next to Kayla, and pecked her on the cheek. "Did we miss anything?" JB asked.

"Not really," Riley said, her sadness vanishing under a calm exterior. Well, she was an actress, Kayla thought wryly.

"We were discussing 'girl things'," Kayla said jokingly, sending Jett into peals of laughter as she wobbled her head like a valley girl.

"_Any_way." JB took a sip of his soda. "Don't do that, Kay. It freaks me out to see you acting feminine."

Kayla smacked him on the arm, only half-playfully. "Shut up, Halliburton."

JB grimaced, rubbing the red spot on his arm. "I was kidding, Kay."

Kayla smiled, but his comment had left her angrier than she expected. She had this crazy desire suddenly, not to be embarrassed in front of Jett. _Oh, stop it, Kayla,_ she thought, irritated at her newfound vulnerability. _You never cared before._

_ He wasn't your boyfriend before,_ her mind argued.

"Kayla?" Riley snapped her fingers in her friend's face.

"Oh." Kayla snapped out of her thoughts. "Sorry."

"Thought we lost you there for a minute." JB tossed a piece of popcorn up into the air and caught it in his mouth. Riley applauded jokingly.

Jett nudged Kayla as JB offered Riley a drink of his soda. They smiled knowingly at each other. Riley accepted the cup with a grin of thanks, and turned back to the conversation.

As usual, they rallied around her in support, each offering their own brand of comfort. This little gathering was one of the best things about being friends. Nothing mattered but each other.

It was well past five when the little party broke up, each of them heading in a different direction. JB and Riley stood for a moment longer in the doorway, watching as Jett pulled Kayla into a long kiss before they went their separate ways.

"It's nice to finally see them together, isn't it?" Riley said. "I don't know about you, but I was about to throw them a surprise wedding."

JB laughed. "Yeah, it's about time." He turned to his friend. "Doesn't it make you wish?"

"Wish what?" 

"That you had someone too?"

Riley sat down on the steps. "Not really. I mean, I've had boyfriends. And as far as I'm concerned, it can wait. I have a life."

JB knew she was right, and he was beginning to agree.

Whatever was in store for him, he was sure it was on the way.


	21. Chapter 21: New York, New York

**here i need a disclaimer. the words to any of the songs here are not mine.**

Jackie was dressed in a blue leotard, black bandanna and black leggings. She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and looked at herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror of Room 327 in Julliard. It was surreal to be back in her college, this time as a performer. The Broadway company had rented the rooms for practices and rehearsals, and Jackie was waiting for her break to end.

She wasn't alone, as a matter of fact. Almost the entire cast was in the room, warming up in dance and voice. Jackie looked again at the music in her hands.

Her favorite number of all the ones she had sang so far was one of the duets, "Something There" . The lyrics had really been beautiful. And they were going over it now. 

"Jackie!" A.J. Soriano, a new actor who was playing the Beast. "Hey, we have another run-through of 'Something'." 

Jackie looked over her shoulder at the huge glass window that looked out into a comfortable room where the actors liked to hang out, and sent Booker a smile. 

He grinned back at her from his position on the plush sofa.

"Okay!" The pianist also happened to be the director, Robert Jess Roth, who had directed the production back in 1994. "Let's give 'Something There' one more chance, and then we're moving on to the dance scenes. Jackie, here we go."

The intro started, and Booker listened as the piano began to play, and Jackie's voice rose softly over the piano.

_There's something sweet,  
And almost kind,  
But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined.  
But now he's dear, and so unsure,  
I wonder why I didn't see it there before..._

Another actress chimed in with a spoken part about changing Belle's clothes, and A.J., on the other side of the room, feigned a glint of hope and glanced over at Jackie. His voice was slightly shaking, but it was acting.

_She glanced this way,   
I thought I saw,   
And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw.   
No it can't be, I'll just ignore,   
But then she's never looked at me that way before..._

A.J. came slowly over to the other side where Jackie was standing, and where one of the stagehands had hastily moved a shelf of books over. "Belle, I have something to show you. But first, you have to close your eyes. It's a surprise!"

Jackie covered her eyes, giggling slightly. "May I open them?" 

A.J. looked up at the bookshelf. "All right, all right, now!" He presented the shelf with a grand flourish.

Jackie's eyes widened in surprise. "I can't believe it! I've never seen so many books in my whole life!"

"You like it?"

"It's wonderful!"

"It's yours."

Jackie pretended to be in delight over the shelf of books, and looked back at A.J. before going back to the books.

_New and a bit alarming...   
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?   
True that he's no Prince Charming,   
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see._

"Oh, this is one of my favorites! It's King Arthur!" She turned to A.J., a book in her hand. "Have you ever read it?"

"No." A.J. turned, and Jackie moved to stand beside him, accidentally hitting the side of the bookcase, which promptly collapsed, and whole rehearsal dissolved in laughter.

"Okay, well, I think we've hand enough for today." Robert Roth said, getting up from the piano. "I have an appointment with one of the theater executives. But first, I want to say thank you guys so much and congratulations. I look forward to working with you, and I am sure that this production is going to be the best we've ever had."

Everyone cheered and Jackie bent down to sift through the remains of the bookcase. "Hey, don't worry about it, Jackie." Robert waved his hand at the pile of splinters. "We've got 18 months until this show hits the stage. We'll have a better bookcase by then."

Jackie laughed and bounded out of the room to meet Booker. 

"Hey, beautiful," Booker said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You were amazing."

Jackie smiled. "Eh... it'll get better." She lifted her arms up and swiftly pulled her long hair into a braid. 

"Jackie?" Robert was standing in the doorway. "One more thing."

"Sure," Jackie turned to face him. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, as you know, Belle didn't have waist-length hair," Robert began. "And I think--"

"You want me to get my hair cut," Jackie finished. "Okay."

Robert looked a little surprised. "Thanks, Jackie."

"Hey, that's my job. I'll be here tomorrow at ten."

"Great," Robert smiled and shook Booker's hand, pointing them to the exit used for performers only. Jackie took Booker's hand as they walked out of Lincoln Center. 

"I like your hair," Booker said.

"Me too," Jackie replied. "But I have to cut it for the role."

Booker grinned. "I'm sure you'll look gorgeous no matter what length your hair is."

"Why, thank you," Jackie giggled. "Listen, I'm gonna go to the salon now. You can come if you want."

Booker thought for a moment. "You know what? I think I'm going to go back to the hotel, catch up on a little sleep, okay?"

Jackie smiled. "Okay, I'll be back in a bit." She kissed him and bounded off down the street.

The salon was called _Expressions_. Jackie walked in, pulling the bandanna off her head. The clerk at the desk sat up. "May I help you, miss?"

Jackie nodded. "I need my hair cut."

"Sure. Go over to the fourth chair. Nina will be with you shortly."

"Thanks." Jackie walked over and sat in the big black chair. A few minutes later a young woman with short dark hair came up to her, smiling.

Jackie had her hair washed and cut, and blow-dried. The stylist spun her around to face the mirror, and Jackie smiled. "Wow," she said. "Thank you." It looked amazing. Her hair fell a few inches below her shoulders, turning under, her bangs flipped to one side. 

Jackie paid the stylist and went back to the hotel.

Booker was sound asleep when she walked in, and Jackie decided that might be a good idea. Yawning, she settled herself down next to him on the bed, and closed her eyes. She was going to be very busy for the next few months.


	22. Chapter 22: Hatching A Plan

A/N: Since I'm a little tired, Cubby's gonna be a sweetheart and do the disclaimer for me. I love Cubby. 

**Cubby: Okay, dudes and dudettes, she does not own this world. We belong to the corporation of Disney!**

* * * *

"We have to get them together," Kayla said, pacing Jett's room. "There's just no question."

Jett laughed. "So enthusiastic," he said. "But yeah, I think they'd be great as a couple. It's as natural as... say... you and me." He grinned impishly at his girlfriend, who shot him a smile of pure happiness. 

"Well, there's the big end-of-summer carnival coming up," Kayla suggested. "The fireworks are so ideal."

Jett grinned. "Indeed they are," he said with a wolfish grin. Kayla giggled as Jett pulled her down into a kiss. 

"Well, Mr. Jackson, what do you suggest?" Kayla said as they pulled away slowly, leisurely. 

"The carnival is a great idea," Jett began. "We'll all go as a group and when the time comes, you and me will conveniently disappear."

Kayla smiled. "Sounds good." She flopped back on Jett's bed and picked up Horace, the bear Miz Corretta had given Jett for his second birthday. She had often teased him about the name of the bear, but it was sweet that he kept it. "Are you gonna win me a teddy bear that day?"

"I'll win you _ten_ bears. And a bunny for good measure," Jett promised playfully, moving next to her on his stomach, his honey-brown eyes shining as he looked right into her eyes. Kayla smiled and rose up to meet his lips for yet another kiss. 

One thing that made her so happy was how natural all of this was. She an Jett just seemed to fit together like two pieces in a puzzle. Once they finally admitted their feelings it was like a whole new world. 

"I wonder how Booker and Jackie are doing," Jett mused. 

Kayla shrugged. "New York must be really exciting." 

"You were there," Jett said. 

"Yeah. Once, and I don't think I'll be going back," Kayla said. "I'm a Wilsted girl at heart." 

Jett smiled. "Just the way I like you," he said. Then he frowned a little. "Booker said he went to Count Mercy High. The only high school here is Wilsted High." 

Kayla shook her head. "I asked my mom about that. She said Wilsted High used to be called Count Mercy before the official naming. It was supposed to be a Catholic school." 

"Oh." Jett nodded. 

Kayla stood up. "So," she said. "I'm gonna go home now, and you, Mr. Jackson, I think will be wanted on set?" 

"Yeah," Jett said, rolling over and standing up. He slid his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "But the rest of the world can wait." He leaned down and engaged Kayla in a very deep, very long kiss. 

If Kayla could have spoken, she would have agreed. 


	23. Chapter 23: The Miracle Of Life

Jackie sat on the edge of the bed. She and Booker had just bought their new apartment, and their things were still being brought in from Wilsted. 

They had had a long discussion concerning staying in the city. Jackie didn't want to take Booker away from Wilsted, and Booker didn't want to leave Jackie in New York.

"What about your job?" Jackie asked. 

"I can always find a position at the precinct," Booker reasoned. "I want to be wherever you are, and if it's New York, then here I am."

So here they were, in an apartment on Lexington Avenue. The cost of the house was surprisingly lower than they had expected, and the view was _amazing_. They were on the next-to-top floor, and below them was spread out all of Midtown and Upper Manhattan. Central Park was like a vast green spread. Hunter College, a local university, was pretty close. Hell, NYU was just a train ride away. Jackie loved New York.

She had always preferred Wilsted to New York, though, and now that sense of homesickness was pulling at her again.

She hadn't been feeling well lately, and she wondered if she had the flu. Jackie had already gone to the doctor the other day, and now she was waiting for Booker to come back with some aspirin.

The phone rang, but Jackie didn't pick it up. She was too tired. Rehearsal had just ended an hour ago, and she was exhausted. 

The answering machine beeped and the message started to record. "_Yes, hello, Miss Laine. This is Doctor Schumann. Um, apparently you do not have the flu. But, congratulations, Miss Laine, you are five weeks pregnant. Call me if you have any questions._"

Jackie stared at the little blinking red light on the machine. "I'm _what_?!" she asked aloud as the door opened. 

"I don't know," Booker said as he came into the room. 

"Listen." Jackie pressed the small blue button again. The message played itself through, and Booker's shocked eyes met Jackie's. Jackie looked down at her flat stomach, her eyes wide. "How... we've only been in New York a month... That means I was pregnant when we left Wilsted."

"Um...how could you not know?" Booker asked delicately.

Jackie flushed red. "I'm irregular sometimes. But I thought my body had adjusted itself years ago."

Booker sat for a moment more. "Do you know what this means?" he asked softly.

Jackie's eyes met his. "We're gonna be a family, Jackie," Booker whispered, taking her hands in his.

Jackie's eyes filled with tears as Booker hugged her. "This is... unbelievable," Jackie said. "I'm a mommy. You're a daddy."

Booker laughed for the sheer joy of it. "I know. Isn't it great?" Jackie joined in his laughter. 

Then she sobered suddenly. "I can't be Belle."

Booker's smile dimmed a little. "Oh, Jackie."

Jackie lowered her eyes to her lap, tears spilling over for a different reason. 

Booker slid both arms around her. "Oh, Jackie. I'm so sorry."

Jackie let out one sob. "I'm so happy," she managed, surprising Booker. He thought she was disappointed. "I'm so disappointed, but so happy."

Booker smiled. "So I guess we better get over to Lenox Hill," he said, referring to the nearest hospital on Lexington Avenue. "And get those birth forms filled out early."

Jackie shook her head. "I'm not having the baby here."

Booker looked over at her. "What?"

"We're going home," Jackie said. "Remember what I said a long time ago, back in high school? If I ever wanted a family and home, it was going to be right there in Wilsted."

Booker couldn't help the huge smile that bloomed on his face. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Jackie said, a smile of her own coming to light. "I just have to tell them that I can't do the Broadway thing. I can still use my police certification back in Wilsted, maybe become an officer. Once the baby is born, of course."

"Yeah," Booker said, drawing her into his arms. "Once our baby is born." This was said with great satisfaction.


	24. Chapter 24: Reflections On A True Thing

Legal Disclaimer: Not me. And the lyrics to "Thank God I Found You" belong to... someone else.

Jett leaned over the rail of one of the sets of Silverstone. Shooting had just begun, and it was 6 A.M. 

The sun was just beginning to come over the building, filling the room with liquid gold and ruby light. His father had just told him last night that the trial for Amanda was to begin in a week. He and Kayla would have to testify. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Kayla yet about this. Jett was deep in thought. 

Amanda was just a kid, and she would be tried as such. He was intensely angry at the girl for hurting Kayla, and for wanting to hurt him. But at the same time, he felt bad for her. She must really have been hurting.

"Okay, scene 23!" Shawn, the director, called. "Places... and action!"

Jett went through the motions of daily life, school and work and Kayla, who made him smile. It seemed every day they fell deeper and deeper in love. They spent hours on the phone each night.

The memories of Tara and embarrassments and arguments seemed to fade in the quiet peace that was Kayla. Jett didn't understand truthfully the extent of their feelings for one another, but it was certainly like nothing he had ever felt before.

It was breathless, overwhelming, and complete. Every time he saw Kayla he wanted to take her in his arms and never let go. He wouldn't care if he had nothing but her, nothing but the glow and spark between them.

He was dizzy with the things he no longer cared about. Forget moving to L.A. Forget being a multi-millionaire. Forget high-end parties and social events. Jett wanted one thing and his life would be complete.

_Kayla_. Her name was a song to him, singing the best things about life. He knew they would fight, they had before, but like all true friends they had always been able to work through it. He knew they would cry, but like all best friends, they had always been able to smile in the end. 

Did he want to spend his life with her? Jett didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted this forever. 

* * * * 

Kayla was already awake, long before her alarm would go off. She was watching the sun rise, the facets of yellow and crimson moving slowly across her window as morning approached. 

She was happy, completely happy, when she thought of Jett. Regardless of how long it had taken them to admit that they liked each other, it was sweeter than she expected. It was different than what she imagined, but how much could a teenager know about love? 

A lot, apparently, she thought with a smile. 

Her alarm went off, turning on the local radio station. Kayla grabbed her towel and went into the bathroom to get ready for school and another day. 

* * * * 

_Thank God I found you  
I was lost without you  
My every wish and every dream  
Somehow became reality  
When you brought the sunlight  
Completed my whole life  
I'm overwhelmed with gratitude  
Cause baby I'm so thankful  
I found you..._  



	25. Chapter 25: Sudden Death

Jackie flipped through the folio of music again, enjoying the look of the notes dipping down and up, creating the beautiful songs she loved to sing.

The pianist was late, and everyone was sitting around chatting and trying to wake up, cups of coffee seated in front of each pair of exhausted eyes. Jackie had been tired lately, falling asleep at seven or earlier. But she never complained, because she was ecstatic at the prospect of this child. She was going to announce to the cast today that she was leaving. 

"Okay, guys!" Robert called. "Let's get this party started!" The pianist had arrived, citing delayed subways as his excuse. 

Jackie reached for her coffee and took a sip. The stagehands pushed out an enormous staircase as part of the props. Jackie was directed to go to the top. They were beginning to rehearse the ballroom scene.

Jackie walked down slowly several times, but each time the producers had to make adjustments. 

The fifth time she started down again, the crew was watching, having finally approved the staircase as being stable. Jackie wasn't paying much attention, being slightly bored by the repetition. Her foot missed a step, and she came crashing down the stairs.

She hit the floor with a terrible thump and groaned. Suddenly she felt a warm sensation on her thighs and looked down at her legs. Blood was streaming down, and her skirt was soaked. 

Jackie started to scream. She didn't want to believe what was happening. "Call an ambulance!" someone yelled. 

The next few minutes were a blur as Jackie was loaded into an ambulance and taken with the wail of sirens to Lenox Hill Hospital, on Lexington and 77th. She didn't know if she had stopped screaming, all she knew was that there was a doctor in front of her. 

Booker raced in, having been called from the set. "Jackie!" He grasped her hand.

Jackie looked up at him, terror in her eyes. "I fell--" And she burst into tears. 

The doctor had already finished cleaning the blood off her legs, and was looking very grim. 

Jackie calmed herself down enough to hear what the doctor was saying. 

"Miss Laine, please listen to me," the woman was saying. "We're afraid you've seriously hurt yourself. The blood... Were you pregnant, Miss Laine?"

Jackie closed her eyes, going absolutely white, and Booker answered, "Yes."

"Miss Laine... you've... you've lost the baby."

Jackie didn't know how to react. She wanted to scream, cry, turn back time, anything! Just get her out of this horrible world. 

All she did do was let out a small moan and faint.


	26. Chapter 26: Set Into Motion

JB was setting up the new inventory when Riley bounded in waving a dollar bill. "Breakfast!" she said breathlessly, grabbing a bagel wrapped in plastic wrap and pushing the dollar into JB's hands. "I'm late to set, thanks, JB."

JB blinked as the door shut. He shook his head and went back to sorting the cans of Campbell's soup. Riley was so hurried lately, he didn't know how she put up with her schedule. She had called him the night before nearly in tears because for the first time she didn't understand her homework. JB had finally managed to calm her down and get her to really look at her work. He was worried that she was crashing. Not that he knew anything about it, but from watching Jett, the acting life was pretty stressful.

"JB!" Ida Halliburton called from the back of the store. "Do we have any more price labels for the sticker gun?"

JB reached up and grabbed the new roll of stickies. He brought them over to his mother who stuck one on his forehead. "Was that Riley before?"

"Yep," JB answered, pushing the little button on the sticker gun, depositing little white rectangles on the dull silver of the tuna cans his mother had arranged in a box.

"She's coming by here pretty often," Ida said pointedly, nudging her son playfully.

JB grinned. "Don't imply anything, Mom. I don't like her like that." But he was blushing and Ida laughed. 

"Oh, JB, I diapered that bottom of yours, I know you," she said. "Riley's a great girl, there's no shame in liking her. I don't think she'd hesitate to say no to you, either." 

JB's cheeks were burning. "Stop it, Mom." 

Ida smiled and shook her head. She knew the warning tone in her son's voice, and she knew to refrain from her teasing. But she still felt that Riley and JB weren't such an impossibility. 

The little bell over the door tinkled as JB swung out the door. "I'm going to Jett's!" he called back. "I'll be back later!" 

"Okay!" Ida responded. "Be back before it's dark, it's Sunday and Grammy and Pop are coming over for dinner." 

"You got it." JB bounded down the street in the direction of the Jackson house. 

* * * *

"Hi, JB," Miz Corretta greeted as JB walked into the living, followed by Wood, who had let him in. "Jett's up in his room with Kayla, if you're wondering."

"I figured," JB grinned. "I just popped in to say hi." He took the stairs two at a time and pushed Jett's door open. 

Jett and Kayla were sitting on Jett's bed, going through and old photo album of Jett's. "I always dressed like such a guy," Kayla groaned, and then looked up as JB came into the room. "Hey, JB."

"Hey, man," Jett said with his usual smile. "What's up? Didn't feel like using the window?"

JB laughed. He and Jett had always gotten into each others' rooms through the windows, especially when they used to sneak out of the house late at night to visit each other. "Not today, Jackson. Anyway, there's the big town carnival coming up in two days, and I came over to ask you if you're coming."

JB didn't quite understand the look that passed between Jett and Kayla, and Kayla's muffled giggling, but he looked expectantly at Jett. "Sure thing, man," Jett said. "Have you asked Riley about it yet?"

JB shook his head. "Nope," he said. "She kinda came running in and out really fast before I could get a word out. She grabbed a bagel, threw a dollar at me, and ran."

Kayla laughed. "Yeah, that's our Riley. The little dynamo." She tossed a photograph toward JB and grinned. "Look at us back in eighth grade."

JB smiled as he looked down at the glossy picture. Kayla's hair was incredibly long, her eyebrows unsculpted, Jett was much shorter and younger-looking, and JB had longer hair and the same crooked grin he'd always had. They really had grown up. 

"There's only one person missing," JB said without even realizing he'd spoken.

Jett squeezed Kayla's hand and then handed JB a second picture. It was him, Jett, Kayla, and Riley on the set of Silverstone at Riley's birthday party three months ago. 

"Can you believe school starts in a week?" Jett flopped back down on his bed. "Feels like we didn't even have a summer vacation."

"Yeah," JB agreed, putting the photos back on Jett's bed. "Ask Riley later on set, will you? She owes me a round of air hockey. She told me she could beat me hands down at the midway."

Jett laughed. "Sure thing, JB."

JB swung out of the room, singing some pop song at the top of his lungs. Jett and Kayla heard Miz Corretta laugh as she let JB out. "Night JB!" they heard Wood call, and the door shut. 

Jett and Kayla piled the photos back into their shoebox and put it back under Jett's bed. "Well, I better get home," Kayla said, looking out the window at the rapidly darkening sky. "My parents will be wondering where I am."

Jett followed her down the stairs and planted a kiss on her lips as he opened the door. "See you on Saturday?"

"Of course. I'll expect you at noon sharp, Jackson," Kayla teased. She kissed him again and bounded down the steps. "And you better take me on the Ferris Wheel!"

Jett laughed. "Of course." 

Kayla ran down the street and out of sight and Jett closed the door with a big grin. 


	27. Chapter 27: Coming Home

The bags were packed, and Jackie was leaning on the doorframe, looking wistfully out the window at the big city which had only been home for a month. Booker was taking down the last of their photographs. He noticed the tears in Jackie's eyes and set down the framed pictures in a box.

"Hey," he said, drawing her into his arms. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jackie said, wiping her eyes with a too-long sleeve. She was wearing Booker's Yankees sweatshirt, which he had bought at their first major-league game. It hung huge on her slender frame, but Booker thought she was beautiful anyway. "I was just thinking, you know? It seems like we started a lot of dreams here and never got to finish them."

Booker kissed her on the top of her head. "Yeah, I know. But you know what? Maybe it's better this way. Maybe it's showing us we're meant to be in Wilsted."

Jackie couldn't help but sniff. "What about the baby?"

Booker held her tighter. He knew how deeply wounded Jackie was since the hospital. The doctors had confirmed that the miscarriage had nothing to do with Jackie's ability to carry a child, that it was the fall that had ended the pregnancy. Even so, Jackie felt that she had lost a part of herself that day, and for a while she had done nothing but cry.

Lately she had been better, and Booker's call that they were coming back to Wilsted had produced much joy in Wilsted. Wood had saved Booker's position, re-hiring Spencer for a temporary assignment.

"The flight's in two hours," Booker said, looking at the clock. "Taxi should be here in ten minutes."

"Okay," Jackie answered, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "I'm ready. How about you?"

Booker nodded, cupping her face in his hands. "We're going home, Jackie. It's all gonna be okay now."

And despite her sadness, Jackie smiled. She could believe him.

* * * *

^Flight 185 to Raleigh, North Carolina, now boarding at Gate 2,^ the announcement came, and Booker and Jackie looked at each other. 

"Here we go." Jackie took Booker's hand and they walked through the gate. 

The flight was short, only an hour and a half, and Jackie fell asleep almost right away. Booker glanced at her now and then, admiring how beautiful she was, and how changed she was. 

Eight years ago, Jackie was an exuberant, athletic girl with waist-length hair and a smile that could outshine the sun. She was still that girl, but with a streak of iron in her that seemed tangible. He missed the innocence that had lighted Jackie's eyes when they were younger, but he loved the woman just as much and more. Booker sank into his thoughts and time passed. 

They landed in Wilsted twenty minutes later. Jackie awoke with a start as the plane touched ground. "We're home," she said, looking at Booker. "And I was so comfortable."

Booker laughed. He led Jackie out into airport and waved at the assembled friends. Wood, Spencer, Jett, Kayla and JB with their parents, Riley, and Miz Corretta were there, smiling, and they gathered Booker and Jackie into a huge bear hug. "We missed you," Miz Corretta said. 

"Lord knows we could have used you lately," Spencer put in, shaking Booker's hand. "We've been swamped with paperwork. The trial for Amanda just finished." 

Jett and Kayla exchanged a glance, and looked away quickly. The trial had been quick and easy, and Amanda was sent to reform school in Raleigh. It was over, and neither of them wanted to revisit it. 

"All right, let's get you two settled back in again," Wood said as they all piled into different cars. Jackie's car had been left in the police station garage, and her lease on the house had been continued, so they dropped Booker and Jackie off at Jackie's house. The bags were left with them, and many warm hugs and handshakes. Miz Corretta invited them for a "welcome home" dinner at the Jackson house, which they gratefully accepted. 

When all was said and done and everyone driven away, Booker looked at his girlfriend. "Now what?" he asked. 

"We unpack," was Jackie's reply, and she picked up her bags and unlocked the door. Booker followed her inside and into her room. Jackie sat down hard on the bed and looked around her room. It looked much the same, just minus some furniture, which would be brought back in by movers. 

"So we're home again," Booker said, sitting beside her. "Are you okay?" 

"Just tired," Jackie answered. She looked up at her boyfriend. "Are you going back to your house tonight or do you want to stay here?" 

Booker drew her into his arms. "I think I'll stay here for tonight. You look like you could use some company. Besides, I've gotten used to having you beside me at night." He kissed her on the forehead. "Feel like lunch?" 

Jackie nodded. "Let's get pizza or something." She stood up. "I'm too tired to unpack now." 

Booker took her hand as they left the house. He twined his fingers in hers and smiled at her. "Look, maybe we should talk about this whole separate house thing." 

Jackie looked up at him. "I was thinking about that too," she admitted. "We lived together in New York and it worked. So the only logical thing is to move in, huh?" 

"Which house?" 

"Which one is bigger?" Jackie had been over to his house many times, but this question hadn't come up. 

"Yours," Booker answered. "I've only got one bedroom." 

Jackie had two, but the second one was being used as her music room. Her keyboard was in there, the table scattered with sheet music, the floor bare. 

"Okay," Jackie said, and the matter was decided. They went into Vinny's Pizzeria. 

Two slices and a soda later, they were back on the sun-warmed streets of Wilsted, walking hand-in-hand to Freeport Street and South Avenue, their new home. 

Jackie liked the sound of that. _Their _new home. Everything was coming together. 


	28. Chapter 28: Are We Ready?

Legal Disclaimer: *clears throat* I have officially given up on announcing the fact that I am not the good soul who created Jett Jackson. It does nothing for my self esteem. *bows and walks off*

The annual Wilsted fair was the biggest event in the small town. The fairgrounds were kept spotlessly clean year-round in anticipation of the crews and construction that began in August.

The big Ferris Wheel never left the ground, and a sunset viewed from the top of the immense ride was truly something spectacular. Kayla walked past the fairgrounds and stopped to watch the men and women setting up the midway and smaller rides. She smiled, thinking of Riley's claim to fame at air hockey. Her smile widened. She herself planned to defeat the mighty Silverstone at ping-pong. 

The big sign on the front gates announced that the fair was to open later that morning. Kayla looked at her watch. It was seven o'clock exactly. She went further down the road towards town. Her father was already up and about and had sent her to Halliburton's to pick up some oil for the wheels of his tractor. Oh, to live on a farm, she thought wryly. 

The little bell over the door chimed, and Joseph Halliburton looked up in surprise. "Hello Kayla," he greeted warmly. "What brings you here so early?" 

Kayla plunked down the eight dollars for the can of Pennzoil and grinned. "My dad needs oil for the tractor. The usual Pennzoil, please." 

Joseph grinned and slid the can across the counter. "Have fun." 

Kayla rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sure." 

JB came into the store through the back door, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Hey, Kay," he said, and went behind the counter. "Today's the fair." 

Kayla nodded. "Have you talked to her yet?" 

JB sighed. "No," he said, looking wistfully out the window. "I haven't been able to catch her on set. Every time I try to talk to her I freeze up or she has to go somewhere or shoot some new scene. It's just not working." 

Kayla touched his hand sympathetically. "Want me to talk to her for you?" 

JB shook his head vehemently. "No way. If I don't do it, it never gets done. Thanks anyway, Kay." 

Kayla nodded. "Okay, JB. Good luck. See you later. Jett's coming to pick me up at noon, and we'll meet you here, okay?" 

"See you later," JB responded, and Kayla walked out. She sighed, thinking how innocent JB was... how innocent they all were. JB was so well-meaning and sweet, if only just a little clumsy. He was like a big teddy bear. 

Like Jett. Jett was so sweet and loving and just wonderful. He was sexy, too. Sometimes when he kissed her, Kayla felt this rush of heat all throughout her body and she never wanted to let go of him. He made her feel so good. 

But she also was afraid of these feelings. She and Jett were so young, but she was sure she was falling in love. The intensity of her feelings was still sharp, but had also mellowed out into something far deeper than anything she had ever experienced. 

_Oh, nonsense, who falls in love at seventeen?_ her mind berated her. And then she thought of her parents. They had met at fourteen and were engaged at nineteen. By twenty-one they were married. So it was possible. 

Now the question of sex was drawing closer. The summer was coming to an end, and once Jett's production schedule picked up again, they would be spending more and more time on set. There would be less free time. 

Was sex what they wanted? Were they ready? Several times one of them had had to stop the other before things got too intense, and then Kayla had felt her breath coming short and heavy, and aching for more. She could see plainly in Jett's eyes that the sentiment was mutual. 

Her mother had warned her of being too quick when it came to boys, and Kayla had always been good, never having even one single boyfriend until Jett came along. Now the magnitude of their feelings was quickly getting overwhelming. 

She decided they needed to talk. 

* * * * 

At noon on the dot, Jett rang the doorbell. Kayla grinned. Punctual as always. 

She opened the door to a huge bouquet of flowers and Jett's disarming smile. "Hey, beautiful," he greeted, and drew her into a kiss. He handed her the dozen red roses mixed with delicate snow-white baby's breath and waited anxiously for her to say something. 

"Jett," Kayla breathed, looking up at him. "What are these for?" 

"Does there have to be a reason?" Jett asked, and Kayla shook her head. "Leave it at this: a beautiful girl deserves beautiful things." 

Kayla melted. She filled a vase with water and put the flowers in. They were stunning, a deep crimson that spoke of the fullest bloom of summer and sun. Kayla turned to see Jett's smile. "I think we should talk," she said, and the smile dropped. 

"Kayla...?" 

"I'm not breaking up with you," Kayla amended hastily, and Jett looked visibly relieved. "It's more major than that." She sat down beside him on the sofa. "I'm talking about--" 

"Sex." Jett knew what she was going to say. "Kayla, I'm not going to ask you--" 

"I know that," Kayla said. "I'm saying this. I want you." 

Jett laughed. "You don't even know how much I want you. But..." 

"Are we ready?" Kayla voiced the unspoken question. "I don't know, Jett. I really don't know." 

Jett took her hands. "Kay, I'd be terrified." 

"Me too." She looked up into his eyes. "But maybe it'll be good for us." 

"Maybe," Jett said. "It's what you want." 

"What _I_ want..." Kayla felt a surge of love at his consideration. "Jett, we need to think about this. But I know now that it's something that's possible." 

"Yeah." Jett twined his fingers in hers. "Now. You feel like popcorn and a roller-coaster ride?" 

"You bet." Kayla got to her feet. "I will _massacre_ you at ping-pong." She shrieked as Jett chased her out the door. 

"No, you won't!" Jett yelled, laughing. "No one defeats the mighty Silverstone!" Their laughter and rebel yells faded down the street as they ran off towards the fair. 


	29. Chapter 29: The Fair

The Ferris Wheel, always the most impressive thing about the fair, was the first thing Jackie saw as she and Booker came down the road towards the fair. Jackie drew in a sharp breath. "I remember this," she said, looking up at Booker with a smile. "I was always terrified of the wheel."

Booker laughed. "Think you could handle it this year, now that you're all grown up?"

Jackie swatted him. "Maybe, maybe not." She raced ahead of him and Booker suddenly had a flash of Jackie at seventeen. He smiled at the vivid memory and followed her loping run through the gates and into the fair. 

They spotted Kayla, Riley, Jett, and J.B. at the midway, locked in a heated four-way basketball contest. J.B. stole the ball from Riley, landing in impressive three-point shot, and Riley went after him, laughing and shrieking at the injustice done to her. 

"Joseph Brian Halliburton, I hope you fall on your face next time!" Riley yelled, pounding his arm with her fists. "Never steal a woman's ball!"

J.B. was helpless with laughter as Riley pushed him down right there on the court. "Indignity!" she was giggling. "Complete humiliation! And in public!"

Kayla and Jett were holding on to each other, gasping for air through laughter. J.B. flipped Riley over and started tickling her. "Okay, okay!" Riley gasped, pushing him off her and shoving her light blonde hair out of her eyes. "I surrender! Mercy!"

J.B. held out his hand and helped her up. "Sorry, Riles. Couldn't help it." He brushed imaginary dirt off his shirt. "White men _can_ jump."

"Shut up, man!" Jett laughed, heaving the ball at his best friend. The game resumed, Jackie and Booker watching from the sidelines, vastly amused. "Hey, you four!" Booker called in his best sergeant voice. "No injuries, ya hear?"

The four teenagers looked up, grinned, and ran over. "Hey, Booker. Hey, Jackie," they greeted.

"What's up?" Riley asked, plopping down on the bench beside them. 

"Just watching your very impressive WWF-slash-NBA basketball tournament," Jackie answered. "Riles, go easy on the boy. He hasn't had much experience wrestling action stars."

Riley laughed and J.B. turned red. "So who's up for some rides?" Jett asked. "Last I heard the roller coaster was free and it's a hell of a ride this year." He pointed to the looping blue track. "It's one of the ones they used to have at Six Flags." 

Jackie shook her head. "No way in hell," she said flatly. "I don't do any loop-the-loops." 

Kayla laughed. "Not even one ride?" 

"No, Kay, my motto is _terra firma. _The firma the betta," Jackie said, causing Booker to groan and everyone to laugh. 

"Well," Jett stood up. "I do believe I was challenged to a ping-pong match by a very confident young lady." 

"As was I, for air hockey." J.B. joined his best friend. "You girls ready to show your stuff?" 

"Yeah," Booker said, standing up too. "We'll make it girls against boys." 

Jackie, Riley, and Kayla looked at each other, grinned, and got to their feet. "You're on, big man," Jackie said, tweaking Booker's nose and taking off towards the game booths, Riley and Kayla hot on her heels. The boys and Booker followed, each running off respectively to the air hockey, ping-pong, and racing video game machines. Jackie sat down in one of the tall seats and put in three quarters. 

"Get ready to be left in the dust, Murray," she said to her boyfriend, who seated himself in the adjacent chair. 

"Ha. Fat chance," Booker teased back, and the race started. 

"Tell you what," Jackie said a few moments later, her eyes not leaving the screen. "I lose, I go on the Ferris Wheel with you. You lose, you have to enter the dance contest with me." 

Booker groaned. "You better lose. I don't dance." 

Jackie laughed and rounded the final curve of the track. She sped up as the black and white finish line drew near, and, at the last second, a white sports car drew up level and passed her by a millimeter. 

"SECOND PLACE!" flashed in big red letters on her screen. She looked in astonishment at Booker, who was grinning triumphantly at her. The words "FIRST PLACE!" were floating around his screen accompanied by confetti and cheering sounds. 

"Ready for the wheel?" Booker asked, and Jackie moaned in defeat. 

"I _hate _you," she said, and Booker scooped her up into his arms. 

"No you don't." He planted a kiss on her lips. 

"Can we at least go watch Jett and Kayla and Riley and J.B. before I go off to die on a large metal wheel?" Jackie begged. "It's a dying woman's last wish." 

"Fine, fine," Booker said, and they made their way to the ping-pong table, where Jett and Kayla were locked in mortal combat. 

"Jesus, look at this," Jackie whispered to Booker when he put her down. "Kayla's kicking his ass." 

Jett missed another ball and Kayla shrieked in triumph. "What did I tell you, Silverstone?" she laughed. "No one defeats me at ping-pong!" 

Jett threw one of the little white balls at his girlfriend and laughed good-naturedly. He put down the paddle and stuck his hand out. "I admit defeat. I know when I'm beaten." 

Kayla smiled and kissed him lightly. "Good game." 

Booker and Jackie followed them to the air-hockey table, where a competition of no less intensity was going on between Riley and J.B. The score was six-six, and neither of them was giving up. "C'mon, I have three days before school starts," Riley said. "One good win over you, Halliburton, and I could make your senior year miserable." She grinned to show that she was joking, and J.B. stuck his tongue out at her. 

"Not a chance," he said as he scored another goal. Riley pulled out the small green disc and knocked it towards his goal. The buzzer sounded just as she made the goal. 

"Seven-seven!" Riley crowed. "Tie!" 

J.B. wrinkled his nose. "You still didn't beat me." 

"You owe me a popcorn." Riley poked him. 

"And you owe me a soda." J.B. poked her back. 

"Jett, where's your dad?" Booker asked when they had all calmed down. 

Jett shrugged. "Dunno. Mom and Dad said they'd be by later, but I'm not sure when. Dad has Spencer here, and you, in case anything happens. So as far as security goes, we're covered." 

Booker nodded. "Okay, just checking." 

A few more hours on rides and games sent the sun sinking down behind the horizon, and the sky exploded in hundreds of colors, spilling a stained-glass menagerie of light over Wilsted. 

Jackie looked up at Booker and led him towards the Ferris Wheel. "I owe you a ride on here, I believe?" 

Booker got two tickets and they got on. The booths were open, and they had a spectacular view of the sunset. The ride started, and Jackie covered her eyes with her hands as they glided upward. "Oh, lord." 

Booker laughed. "It's okay. Look at the view," he pulled her hands from her eyes and pointed to the sunset. It was glowing gold and crimson on the horizon, tawny gold light illuminating everything. 

Jackie smiled. "It's beautiful." 

They admired it as they went over and over the top of the wheel. Finally they felt the wheel slowing and stopping just as they reached the very peak of the wheel for the twelfth time. 

"Looks like we're gonna be here for a while," Booker said, and felt the small rectangular shape in his pocket. Jackie was absorbed in the sunset, looking stunningly beautiful in the light. 

"Mmm," she answered absently. 

Booker reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "Jackie?" 

She turned to him, her eyes still full of the light of the sunset. "Yes?" 

"I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time," Booker began. "I've just never found the perfect moment." 

Jackie looked at him curiously, a smile half-playing at her lips. "What's wrong?" 

"I've always pictured this perfect life, with a family, a home, and happiness. And there is no one... no one, Jackie, who I would rather spend my perfect life with than you." 

Jackie gasped as he opened the little box to reveal a single round diamond flocked by two smaller diamonds on either side on a gold band. "Booker..." 

"Would you do me the honor of being my wife?" Booker held the ring out to her. "Sorry, I can't get down on one knee..." 

Jackie's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Booker... yes. I mean, yes of course." 

Smiling from ear to ear, Booker slid the ring onto her left ring finger and kissed her. With a lurch, the wheel began to move again, and they descended back down to earth. 

The fireworks display began as they came back to the dance platform. This was the highlight event of the night, and people gathered from everywhere to see. Jett and Kayla were watching, Kayla in Jett's arms, and Riley and J.B. were standing side by side, looking up. 

J.B. looked over at Riley, her face lit up by the fireworks. He was hit by the sudden urge to kiss her. Her hand was achingly close to his, their fingers just touching. 

Riley's eyes met his. "What're you looking at?" she asked softly. 

"Something more beautiful than the fireworks," J.B. answered, and took the plunge. Their lips met. 

Unfortunately, Riley was unprepared for this and fell backwards, making it look like J.B. had pushed her. People catcalled, and Riley pushed J.B. off her. "Whoa, slow down, there, J.B.," she said, sitting up. 

"I am _so_ sorry," J.B. gasped, helping her up. "I didn't mean to--" 

Riley cut him off with a hand over his mouth. "Be _gentle_." She placed a soft, light kiss on his lips and pointed up at the sky. "We're missing the fireworks, Halliburton. And I will never forgive you if I don't get to see the finale. Now watch." 

J.B. laughed and Riley took his hand. 

All in all, Jackie thought as she watched them, not a bad day. Booker leaned down and kissed her, and so ended the Wilsted fair. 


End file.
